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FATBERG ALERT

Sickening van-sized ‘fatberg’ made up of dirty nappies, wet wipes and used condoms clogs sewer

Unlucky workers forced down into the darkness to break down the putrid mass with hoses

DISGUSTED sewer workers have been forced to pick apart a rancid fatberg as big as a transit van.

The congealed mass of fat and oil held together by baby wipes, nappies and used condoms was discovered by waterboard workers in South Hykeham, Lincs.

The giant fatberg discovered in South Hykeham, Lincolnshire, was estimated to be as big as a transit van
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The giant fatberg discovered in South Hykeham, Lincolnshire, was estimated to be as big as a transit vanCredit: Wessex News Agency
Water board workers were forced to go down into the sewer to blast the rancid mass apart with hoses
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Water board workers were forced to go down into the sewer to blast the rancid mass apart with hosesCredit: Wessex News Agency
Workers feared the force needed to break apart the berg could be so strong that human excrement could be sent hurtling out of locals' sinks and toilets
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Workers feared the force needed to break apart the berg could be so strong that human excrement could be sent hurtling out of locals' sinks and toiletsCredit: Wessex News Agency

And unlucky engineers were left with the grim task of breaking down the putrid berg using hoses.

Such was the force of the thousands of gallons of water needed to break down the foul mass, engineers feared human excrement from sewers could be blasted up through locals' sinks and toilets.

Anglian Water spokeswoman Sarah Dobson said: "Every year [our] staff clear thousands of blockages from the region's pipes.

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"There are more than 30,000 blockages a year, 80 per cent of which are caused by wipes and fats.

"This adds £15 million a year on to customers' bills.

"If fat ends up down the sink it can cause a major headache.

"It sets hard in the pipe and mixed with other unflushables such as baby wipes and cotton buds, causing blockages.

Officials say the problems of breaking down fatbergs is growing every year
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Officials say the problems of breaking down fatbergs is growing every yearCredit: PA:Press Association
The putrid masses can grow to enormous sizes if they are not dealt with. They are generally solidified cooking oil held together with baby wipes
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The putrid masses can grow to enormous sizes if they are not dealt with. They are generally solidified cooking oil held together with baby wipesCredit: County Clean Environmental Services

"This not only causes problems for you at home, but clogged sewer pipes can cause flooding of untreated sewage into homes, gardens, streets and even end up in rivers, the sea and on beaches."

Fatbergs are an increasing problem as homeowners flush cooking fat and oil down their sinks and toilets.

The liquefied oil solidifies in the drain and collects with non-degradable items such as baby wipes and nappies.

The congealed blobs gradually grow in size and can often become so large they block up drains.

Dobson added: "We were alerted to reports that one of our sewers had backed up.

"When we lifted the manhole we found it was full of fats oils and greases.

"Our teams worked to unblock the sewer and prevent it from overflowing and causing any sewage from flooding nearby properties.

Water board officials have begged homeowners not to flush non-degradable items such as nappies and face wipes down the toilet to avoid the problem
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Water board officials have begged homeowners not to flush non-degradable items such as nappies and face wipes down the toilet to avoid the problemCredit: Getty Images

"We will be returning to give it a thorough clean and use our CCTV camera to check for any further blockages.

";This is just one of thousands of blockages we get a year in our region.

"Eighty per cent of these blockages are completely avoidable and are caused by fats being poured down sinks and wipes being flushed down toilets.

"You can help avoid problems by not putting things like wipes down the loo and leaving fat from cooking to solidify before scraping it into your bin or recycling caddy."

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