Derbyshire residents urged not to flush wet wipes down the toilet as disgusting pictures emerge

Severn Trent is urging customers to avoid flushing wet wipes down the toilet.
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The reminder follows a recent increase in blockages caused by wipes across the region.

Severn Trent’s sewer blockages lead, Grant Mitchell, said: “These blockages are all the result of people flushing one wipe here and there, and not realising that they are collecting in the pipe and creating a big problem.

Severn Trent is battling wet wipe blockages across the region.Severn Trent is battling wet wipe blockages across the region.
Severn Trent is battling wet wipe blockages across the region.
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“Blockages of this size can easily cause sewer flooding, which would be awful to experience and can be devastating for homes, businesses and the environment.

“Many people also don’t realise that a lot of wet wipes, even the ones that are labelled as ‘flushable’, contain plastic, which means that they don't break down in the sewers in the same way that toilet paper does.

“Certain brands of toilet wipes have started to sell a new product, which is actually more of a moist toilet tissue – they don’t contain plastic and are safe to flush down the toilet, as they will break down in the sewer.

“These wipes carry the Fine to Flush symbol on their packaging, which means they have been stringently tested by independent technical experts to ensure they’re safe to flush.

If you do run into problems, either slow drains or a blocked sewer which is Severn Trent’s responsibility, you can report it at www.stwater.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 4444.If you do run into problems, either slow drains or a blocked sewer which is Severn Trent’s responsibility, you can report it at www.stwater.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 4444.
If you do run into problems, either slow drains or a blocked sewer which is Severn Trent’s responsibility, you can report it at www.stwater.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 4444.
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“We recommend that customers look out for these wipes as they are less likely to cause a blockage if they get dropped down the loo.”

Mr Mitchell added: “If everyone kept a bin in their bathroom and binned their wipes, or only flushed wipes which meet the Fine to Flush standard, we could easily prevent the majority of these blockages from occurring.”

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