Southend sewers cleared of 'astounding whale-sized' waste

This is just one-fifth of the waste that was removed from the sewage system

A massive mountain of unflushable waste - "the size of two blue whales" - has been removed from a town's sewers.

Anglian Water said 200 tonnes of material, including fat and wet wipes, was removed over four months from pipes in Southend-on-Sea in Essex.

The company had been "astounded" by what it found in the 50 miles (80km) of pipes after work began in December.

Clearance started after Anglian Water discovered some pipes were 85% full of unflushable items.

The waste, once removed, was "roughly the equivalent of two blue whales", the company said.

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The work was carried out to help prevent flooding in the area, the cause of which is often due to a build-up of unflushables in the pipes.

At the town's pumping station, 15 tonnes of fat was cleared from the pumps.

"We have been astounded by the amount of unflushables found in Southend-on-Sea," said Ben Hatfield-Wright, Anglian Water's recycling network efficiency manager.

"In addition to the wet wipes and sanitary products - which we find are the usual culprits for blockages - we also found concrete, tools, toys and kitchen utensils."

Five times more waste was removed from the town's sewers

Despite the quantity of waste blocking the pipes, the company said no major issues were found and only a few small repairs to pipework were needed.

Sensors were being installed across the sewage network in Southend to monitor flow, levels and temperature, to ensure the pipes kept flowing.

"It will enable engineers to identify any emerging issues before they cause problems," a spokesman said.