Residents in the Braintree area are being reminded to help play their part to keep homes and streets free from sewage spills caused by wipes and other unflushable household waste.

Pumping stations and sewer pipes play a vital role in pumping sewage and used water away from our homes and businesses to be safely treated at Water Recycling Centres.

Across the network of pumping stations around Braintree, an average of 8 tonnes of unflushable items – which is the equivalent weight to two adult elephants –is being retrieved every week.

Anglian Water has written to around 1400 homes in the Marks Farm area of Braintree asking for their help to dispose of wipes in the bin, and not down the toilet.

The letter drop follows frequent visits by engineers to physically unblock pumps clogged by a large volume of ‘unflushable’ items. 

The problem has been so severe that the pumps were not able to work as effectively as they should which resulted in a pollution nearby. 

In addition, Anglian Water is working with local organisation Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services to help spread the environmental message locally.

Julie Leggett, Partnership Support Officer, attended last weekend’s Bocking Blackwater Festival and met residents as well as giving out promotional items including sink strainers, scrapers and fat traps. 
She said: "There was a great response from everyone keen to learn how we can all play out part to bin wipes and other unflushable items.”