Discarded false teeth and incontinence pads contribute to enormous 209ft fatberg in sewers of Devon retirement town
- The 209ft blockage clogging sewers in Sidmouth, Devon, is thought to have taken two years to form
- It took 36 tanker trucks to remove the congealed mass over a period of eight weeks at the end of 2018
- Experts said that the contents they found within it ‘reflected the ageing population’ of the retirement resort
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Retirees’ discarded false teeth and incontinence pads helped to form an enormous fatberg longer than the Tower of Pisa, it emerged yesterday.
Scientists had feared the 209ft blockage clogging sewers in Sidmouth, Devon, contained harmful chemicals, hazardous bugs and banned microplastic beads.
However, experts found its contents ‘reflected the ageing population’ of the retirement resort.
Scientists had feared the 209ft blockage clogging sewers in Sidmouth, Devon, contained harmful chemicals, hazardous bugs and banned microplastic beads
The fatberg, which was discovered under The Esplanade in the seaside town, is thought to have taken two years to form
It took 36 tanker trucks, each with a 3,000-gallon capacity, to remove the congealed mass over eight weeks at the end of 2018
The fatberg, which was discovered under The Esplanade in the seaside town, is thought to have taken two years to form.
It took 36 tanker trucks, each with a 3,000-gallon capacity, to remove the congealed mass over eight weeks at the end of 2018.
The monster blob was then fed into an ‘anaerobic digester’ machine which broke it down while generating electric power in the process.
Exeter University scientists analysed four 22lb samples of the huge, smelly mass.
Experts found that the mass contained wet wipes, sanitary towels and even a set of false teeth
Exeter University scientists analysed four 22lb samples of the huge, smelly mass
Andrew Roantree, from South West Water, said: ‘Although we deal with around 8,500 blocked sewers every year, the Sidmouth fatberg was by far the largest discovered in our service history’
Synthetic biology expert Professor John Love, who led the project, said: ‘We worried that the fatberg might concentrate fat- soluble chemicals such as those found in contraceptives, contain now-banned microplastic beads from cosmetics and be rich in potentially pathogenic microbes, but we found no trace of these possible dangers.
‘We were all rather surprised to find that this fatberg was simply a lump of fat aggregated with wet wipes, sanitary towels and other household products that really should be put in the bin and not down the toilet.’
Andrew Roantree, from South West Water, added: ‘Although we deal with around 8,500 blocked sewers every year, the Sidmouth fatberg was by far the largest discovered in our service history.
‘The results confirm our suspicions – that fat and non-flushable products such as wipes are the main culprits.’
The main bulk of the monster blob was then fed into an ‘anaerobic digester’ machine which broke it down while generating electric power in the process