Bog off: Fatberg finally cleared from Greenwich sewer by Thames Water engineers
A fatberg the size of a London red bus has been cleared from a sewer by Thames Water engineers – who pulled some of it out by hand.
The 40-tonne mass of fat, grease and other waste, was found earlier this year clogging up a Greenwich sewer.
Workers at Thames Water spent three weeks trying to dislodge the “disgusting” blockage which, at some points, took up 80 per cent of the sewer’s capacity.
They used high-powered water jets to blast it loose, before removing some of the debris – which included used nappies, grease and unflushable wet wipes – with their own hands.
Thames Water’s network protection team has subsequently paid visits to cafes in the area, to warn against putting fat, grease and oil down their sinks, something which can speed up the formation of fatbergs.
Matt Rimmer, Thames Water’s head of waste networks, said: “This was a massive and disgusting blockage that took a great deal of effort and teamwork to clear and get the sewer working well again.
“I’m happy that our team was able to get down and work hard to quickly to clear the fatberg before it could cause problems for our customers and the environment.
“We’d urge everyone to help fight the fatberg by only flushing the 3Ps – pee, poo and paper – as well as disposing of fat and oils in the bin, not the sink.”