Flushed bra and knickers blamed for sewer collapse

[LMH]

Flushed bra and knickers blamed for sewer collapse

A bra and a pair of knickers have been blamed for a flood and road collapse in County Durham.

Northumbrian Water said the underwear was flushed down a toilet and caused a blockage in a sewage pipe in Middleton-St-George, near Darlington.

Heavy rain, together with a build up of grease and fat, caused the pipe to burst and the road above to collapse.

The road will remain closed for days and Northumbrian Water estimates repairs will cost more than £15,000.

The company has now urged residents to think carefully about what they flush away.

'Offending items'

A spokeswoman said: "If the underwear had not been flushed down the toilet, this would not have happened. It was very irresponsible behaviour. These pipes are not designed to carry bras and knickers Northumbrian Water spokeswoman

"When we dug down to inspect the damage, we found a bra and knickers had snagged itself across the nine-inch diameter of the pipe.

"There was also a heavy build-up of grease and fat, which contributed to the situation. We were forced to repair a 2m section of sewer and a 10m section of road was affected.

"These pipes are not designed to carry bras and knickers."

The spokeswoman said it was impossible to trace the owners of the underwear.

She added: "Unfortunately no-one wants to even touch the offending items. They will remain bagged for a time and then disposed of properly."

 

[ThePlotter]

Lisa it is a strange coincidence your post because yesterday I was talking to a friend who lives up the road and they had a blocked sewer since last friday morning with some house having raw sewage coming up the bath plughole others with it in the garage,on this occasion it was put down to a fat ball but last time it was a pair of jeans,I found that hard to believe but now I see it must be true.

 

[JeremyClarksson]

That's pants that is!

I wonder how anybody had the front to do that

Just shows you society has reached rock bottom

As for the council

Talk about getting your knickers in a twist

I bet the workmen have got their braziers out now

I really feel quite flushed now after I have got that off my chest

 

[ThePlotter]

bum bum!or is that boom boom who knows who cares.

 

[Viking1]

More flooding has wrecked havoc on some parts of Britain following severe storms.

Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Shropshire were worst hit, as many people were trapped in their homes and cars because of the extreme weather conditions.

One ambulance crew in Worcestershire was unable to reach a man stranded in his home after finding that a bridge had been completely submerged.

However, the crew were able to reach a second man who had suffered lacerations to his feet while wading through floodwater after a brook burst its banks.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said its crews had reported floodwaters rising to the height of car doors, forcing paramedics to reduce driving speeds for safety reasons.

Meanwhile, a clear-up operation was also under way in parts of Kent after a band of heavy rain prompted more than 300 flooding-related calls.

Several thousand people were reportedly left without power overnight as overhead cables were affected by the stormy weather.

Some roads were heavily waterlogged and there were reports of sewage leaks.

Fire services in East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey helped to field calls from Kent to deal with the number of emergency calls being received.