SOUTH West Water (SWW) are urging its customers to help prevent blockages and fat-bergs from forming.

The water company says when fats, oils and greases mix with items like wet wipes, sanitary products and food waste, they create ‘stubborn blockages’.

And if left unchecked, these can grow into giant, concrete-like fatbergs – the most extreme form of sewer monster, the company says.

In the past year alone, South West Water has cleared more than 7,000 avoidable blockages from its network, with three-quarters of those caused by just two things: wet wipes and fats.

Jenny Eamer, Wastewater Services Operations Manager at South West Water, said: ‘Blockages might sound like something out of a horror story, but they’re very real – and they start with the choices we all make at home and at work.

‘The good news is that they’re easy to stop.

‘Small actions starve these sewer monsters, and together we can make a big difference’.

Blockages thrive on the things we put down our drains and toilets – but without a ‘food supply’, they can’t grow.

By making a few simple changes, everyone can help to starve fatbergs, keep our sewers flowing freely, and protect homes, communities and the environment.

Everyone can play their part by:

• Only flushing the 3Ps – pee, poo, and paper. Everything else belongs in the bin.

• Not pouring fats, oils or grease down sinks - Let them cool, scrape or pour them into a container, and put them in your food waste bin.

• Food businesses should install and maintain grease-trapping equipment to stop FOGs from entering the sewer network and adopt good kitchen habits like dry-wiping dirty pots and plates into a bin before putting them in the dishwasher.