Sewers unblocked to reduce floods

3,000 tonnes of fat are removed from the South West's sewers each year

South West Water is to carry out millions of pounds worth of maintenance to rid the region's sewers of blockages and help prevent flooding.

Cotton buds and sanitary items are the main cause of blockages but the utility company has found a cow's head, spoons, phones and bike wheels in its sewers.

Every year it also removes 3,000 tonnes of fat from its sewers - the equivalent volume of 21 double-decker buses.

The company expects to spend £4.7m on sewer maintenance this year.

Richard Gilpin, Head of Waste Water Services, South West Water, said: "We take flooding from our sewers very seriously, and where we can act to reduce or remove the risk of it happening we will.

"We use a range of tools to tackle the 3,000 blockages in our network each year, including a high-tech system that identifies 'hot-spots' in the system most at risk of flooding.

"This helps us make repairs before problems occur, such as collapsed sewers and blockages, which can lead to flooding."