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Ask Southern Water’s experts about ‘The Unflushables’ - items that could cause a sewer flood in your home - £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

312 replies

AmeliaMumsnet · 28/03/2017 09:16

Every year in England and Wales water companies deal with over 300,000 blockages, many of which are caused by common household items being flushed down the toilet. That’s why Southern Water, along with the Consumer Council for Water, have launched ‘The Unflushables’, a campaign to help people protect themselves from the misery of sewer flooding. Many products that have been labelled as ‘flushable’ can actually contribute to these types of problems, so, to clear up some of the confusion, the team at Southern Water are offering you the opportunity to ask some of your burning, sewer-related questions to their expert, Sharon Holdstock!

Here’s what Southern Water have to say: “‘The Unflushables’ campaign aims to help people know how to properly dispose of fat, oil, grease and unflushable items like wipes, tampons, nappies and condoms. It’s designed to help customers understand the impact a sewage flood in their house can have – and provide some hints and tips to help prevent it.”

Post any questions you might have about ‘The Unflushables’ - how to dispose of them, what can and can’t be flushed, or how to get into good habits to prevent sewer flooding, and we’ll pick 20 for Sharon to answer. Everyone who posts their questions will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £150 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Here is some information about Sharon Holdstock:

Sharon is currently Southern Water’s Field Customer Engagement Officer, and has been with the company for five years. She travels to areas that have been affected by flooding caused by blocked drainage systems and advises people on what not to flush, giving talks and presentations around the community. She is passionate about this project, and about the importance of getting the message out to as many people as possible to help them protect their homes and the environment.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw,

MNHQ

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Ask Southern Water’s experts about ‘The Unflushables’ - items that could cause a sewer flood in your home - £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED
Ask Southern Water’s experts about ‘The Unflushables’ - items that could cause a sewer flood in your home - £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
CountryCaterpillar · 03/04/2017 21:11

No.of course not! Bodily fluids and loo roll.

sweir1 · 03/04/2017 21:16

Can you flush babywipes?

CountryCaterpillar · 03/04/2017 21:18

No.

Chlobuzz · 03/04/2017 23:04

Are anti-bacterial bathroom cleaning wipes safe to flush? Or are they similar to baby wipes as they can't be flushed can they?

MollyHuaCha · 03/04/2017 23:06

I was taught to flush sanitary towels and to make sure they flushed nicely, to tear them lengthwise down the centre. It always seemed to work! Now of course I use bins for disposal, but I'm curious to know what has changed to make flushing no longer acceptable? The previous practice of flushing was common for decades.

goldenretriever1978 · 04/04/2017 07:04

Another wondering about supposed flushable bottom wipes!

jazzitup · 04/04/2017 09:03

Want to keep the pipes clean so what would be the best product to put down the toilet, thanks.

CopperPan · 04/04/2017 09:30

Toilet paper is supposed to be fine for flushing but we've had a few blockages due to large amounts of toilet paper used at once by one of my dc (autistic). Any consensus on the maximum no. of sheets before it will block the loo? Hopefully he could stick to a rule if there is a fixed maximum number.

strawberrisc · 04/04/2017 10:12

I have a question: I would never flush baby wipes but our family does use those moist wipes which say can be flushed. However, I always wonder if this really is the case or not. Are we doing damage by flushing them?

zlb33 · 04/04/2017 11:11

There definitely needs to be more publicity about the damage unflushables can cause and some of the triple or quad ply toilet tissues block the pipes

lexy2009 · 04/04/2017 11:26

Wat about tampons? Can/should they be flushed? Would I be better disposing of them in the household waste?

RamGoatLiver · 04/04/2017 11:48

What about quilted paper?

My DH disagrees with me that quilted toilet paper blocks toilets. He buys it, but I'm the one Hmm having to unblock the toilet (trusty plastic bag around loo brush trick), after DD has used too much and blocked it.

CountryCaterpillar · 04/04/2017 11:50

No to tampons (do people really flush them?! :( )

princesssmitheee · 04/04/2017 13:44

what about baby wipes?

Asteroid2000 · 04/04/2017 14:11

I would also like to know about flushing food. Casserole and soup are too liquid to put in the food bin, and I have always flushed them (although try to minimise Food waste). Is that ok?

PigletJohn · 04/04/2017 14:31

I can't help noticing that Southern Water’s experts have been conspicuous by their absence in the past week.

angiehoggett · 04/04/2017 14:38

is it ok to put bleach down a slow draining shower to the clear any blockages?

beeetyj · 04/04/2017 16:57

I saw some 'flushable cat litter' advertised which I thought was sooo great - until a friend used it and it blocked her toilet! Is there such a thing? Or can you just flush cat poo down the loo?

mousymary · 04/04/2017 17:06

I live in Southern Water area and have seen no "Unflushables" campaign. Is it something forthcoming?

Also, should we be concerned about things in the water supply like contraceptives and antibiotics?

CountryCaterpillar · 04/04/2017 17:48

Princess no to babywipes.

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 04/04/2017 18:04

HQ are going to pick 20 questions for Southern Water to answer, PigletJohn.

Although they'll have to find 20 separate questions first - I think there's been a lot of repetition.

RedBugMug · 04/04/2017 18:17

to add a question: what can we do to unblock a toilet without causing damage?

Rosys123 · 04/04/2017 18:38

Are cheaper toilet rolls more likely to cause blockages?

sbruin1122 · 04/04/2017 23:21

Those fat-bergs are horrible! How do they get rid of them??

ActuallyThatsSUPREMECommander · 04/04/2017 23:33

Blokes in boiler suits and waders with shovels.