Mystery toys turn up at Faringdon sewage works

The toys were flushed from a mystery household in Faringdon and the Coxwells

A dozen toy figurines were found among the fats and grease clogging up the system at a sewage works during a £3.6m upgrade.

Thames Water has built two huge new sewage filters and a standby power generator at its 1960s-built sewage treatment centre in Oxfordshire.

The Faringdon centre treats the waste of 8,000 households.

The toys were consigned to their fate from a mystery toilet somewhere in Faringdon and the Coxwells.

A Thames Water spokeswoman said the "grim voyage" of the colourful miniatures, thought to be made by HappyLand, took them "down miles of our sewage network to reach the sewage works".

Thames Water has revamped its 1960s-built sewage treatment centre in Oxfordshire

The upgrade at Faringdon means the site will now be able to process increased volumes of wastewater.

The number of households in the area is expected to increase to 11,200 by 2026.

A new tank will hold sludge, the by-product of the treatment process, before transporting it to Swindon sewage works to be turned into renewable energy.