One of the biggest “fatbergs” ever seen in Britain – a ball of fat as long as three soccer pitches – has been found blocking a Victorian-era, east London sewer.
LONDON (Reuters) – One of the biggest &ldquo-fatbergs&rdquo- ever seen in Britain – a ball of fat as long as three soccer pitches – has been found blocking a Victorian-era, east London sewer.
&ldquo-It’s a total monster and taking a lot of manpower and machinery to remove,&rdquo- said Thames Water’s head of waste networks, Matt Rimmer. &ldquo-It&rsquo-s one of the largest we&rsquo-ve ever seen.&rdquo-
The rock-solid mass of wet wipes, nappies, fat and oil weighs as much as 10 double-decker buses.
Work in Whitechapel to remove the blockage started this week and involves an eight-strong crew using jet hoses to break up the mass before sucking it out with a tanker.
&ldquo-It’s basically like trying to break up concrete,&rdquo- said Rimmer. &ldquo-It’s frustrating as these situations are totally avoidable and caused by fat, oil and grease being washed down sinks and wipes flushed down the loo.&rdquo-
&ldquo-Bin it, don&rsquo-t block it&rdquo- was the message, he added.
Four years ago a similar but smaller fatberg was found in a sewer in Kingston, southwest of London.