Water companies are warning people not to flush wet wipes and kitchen roll if they run out of toilet paper during the coronavirus crisis.
Shoppers up and down the country have been stocking up on toilet paper, leading to fears of a shortage which could force customers to use kitchen roll or other substitutes.
However, Thames Water has now warned that this could lead to serious sewer blockages and even fatbergs and called on customers to avoid ‘unflushables’ and throw them in the bin instead.
To highlight their concern, the water company shared two photos of a large sewer blockage in Wimbledon, London last month, with fears similar blockages could be caused by the coronavirus panic.
A sewer blockage in Wimbledon, London last month. Thames Water shared the photo today and warned that similar blockages could be caused during the coronavirus crisis
With toilet paper stockpiling all over the UK, Thames Water has warned people not to start flushing kitchen roll or wet wipes down the toilet
Panic buyers have been stockpiling toilet paper, with people queuing up for hours to empty supermarket shelves.
Photos have revealed the impact of the bulk-buying, with people up and down the UK complaining of being unable to purchase essential supplies, like toilet paper.
The crisis has prompted Thames Water to release a statement reminding customers to be responsible when flushing.
The company explained that wipes, along with other ‘unflushables’ like nappies and sanitary products, don’t break down in pipes like toilet paper and can combine with fats, oils and grease to create fatbergs: huge, solid masses which are difficult to clear and can cause raw sewage to build up and flood homes, businesses and the environment.
With Thames Water, and several other businesses, facing the potential for an increase in staff absence in the coming weeks, it has asked customers to be careful about what they flush.
Matt Rimmer, Thames Water’s head of waste networks, said: ‘We’re carefully planning how we can continue to provide an essential public service and while we encourage everyone to practice good hygiene to protect against COVID-19, wet wipes and kitchen roll can be hugely damaging to our sewers and our customers can really help us by not flushing them down the toilet.
‘This will reduce the number of blockages and the risk of flooding to homes, businesses and the environment during what is likely to be a difficult time for many people.
Customers are pictured above in Savers, north London panic-buying toilet rolls in a bid to stockpile items
Empty shelves at the ASDA in Dalgety Bay in Dunfermline, Scotland, on Sunday 15 March 2020
Shoppers panic-buying toilet rolls in Savers, north London, as cases of coronavirus increase
Empty hand wash and toiletry shelves are pictured above in Tesco in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in London
‘Fatbergs grow slowly so it’s hard to say if coronavirus has had an impact on our sewers at this stage but, as always, we’d urge everyone to only flush the 3Ps – pee, poo and paper – to help avoid problems in the future.’
On average, Thames Water spends £18 million every year clearing 75,000 blockages from its sewers, unclogging five house blockages and removing 30 tonnes of material from just one of its sewage treatment works every day.
A spokesman for Severn Trent Water also told Mail Online: ‘We understand some of the issues people are having with finding toilet paper but we always ask customers to flush only the three Ps – toilet paper, poo and pee – or wipes that have the ”safe to flush” logo on.
‘Anything else can create blockages in our sewer pipes which can easily cause problems in their own homes, for their neighbours or in the street.’
So far in the UK, coronavirus has killed 35 people and there have been 1,372 confirmed cases and official guidance has recommended that people should implement social distancing where possible.
This has also led to people self-isolating at home, with millions secluding themselves from today, leading to an increase in stockpiling goods.