Customers in Dumfries & Galloway encouraged to dispose of bathroom items correctly
The latest phase of Scottish Water’s ‘Keep the water cycle running smoothly’ campaign is aimed at reducing sewer blockages with a specific focus on bathroom waste.
The new national TV and radio adverts highlight the costly impact of disposing with personal cleansing and cleaning wipes, cotton buds and nappies down the toilet.
Customers in Dumfries and Galloway are being advised this material does not break down easily when flushed, and can collect in large clumps in Scottish Water sewers, creating a blockage which can potentially make its way onto Scotland’s beaches and impact the coastal environment.
In Dumfries, the sewer network was found to have the most blockages with 358 in 2015.
Approximately 37,000 blockages in Scotland’s drains and sewer network last year were attended by Scottish Water and around 80 per cent of these resulted from inappropriate items being flushed down sinks and toilets.
Scottish Water believes the best way to tackle blocked drains and sewer flooding is to work with our customers to prevent blockages that can clog up the cycle in the first place.
Scott Fraser Campaign Manager at Scottish Water, said: “The majority of sewer blockages are entirely avoidable as they are caused by items such as wipes, nappies and sanitary items being put down toilets.
“The waste water drain which runs from your house to the public sewer is usually only about four inches wide, which is less than the diameter of a DVD.
“This drain is designed to take only the used water from sinks, showers and baths and pee, poo and toilet paper, the three p’s, from the toilet. The message for customers is to put all bathroom waste items in the bin.
“We are committed to reducing the impact of sewer blockages and the misery of sewer flooding which can be caused in homes, businesses and in streets.
“In some circumstances this issue can affect Scotland’s beaches and coastal environment. We at Scottish Water are determined to do all we can to protect and enhance Scotland’s natural environment.
“With the help of our customers, our campaign is helping to get the message across and we’ve made great progress, but there is still a lot more that can be done to tackle blocked drains and sewer flooding. We thank customers who have responded to our campaign.”
Scottish Water volunteers regularly carry out beach cleans will be visiting coastal towns as part of the campaign and advertisements which will be broadcast on STV, Sky Adsmart, 20 radio stations and on digital and social media channels across Scotland.
Customers can learn more about what they can do to keep the cycle running by visiting www.scottishwater.co.uk/cycle.
Scottish Water’s website has dedicated pages, modules and activities to download at www.scottishwater.co.uk/education which support learning and teaching for the school curriculum in Scotland.
Since the campaign started two years ago, the number of blockages or sewer chokes has reduced by 12% from 40,000 to just over 35,000 a year, or almost 100 per day, across Scotland.
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