Going potty....town identified as toilet-blocking hotspot

Pontefract has been singled out by Yorkshire Water.

Items such as wet wipes, cotton buds, nappies, sanitary towels being flushed down the toilet and regularly blocking sewer systems around the town.

Other towns identified as problem areas include Doncaster and Hull.

Mark Hammond, from Yorkshire Water, said: “We know from our data that some areas of Pontefract are hotspots for blockages. Items such as fats, wet wipes and sanitary products don’t break down in the sewer and can join together to form significant blockages.

“Blockages can lead to people being unable to use their toilet due to restricted flows in the network, sewage flooding in homes, sewage escapes into the local environment or ultimately pollution to local watercourses.

“We spend millions of pounds every year identifying and removing blockages caused by unflushables.”