Drainage problems in London are not an uncommon occurrence. The increasing population causes extra strain on the city’s already over worked sewage system, which was only built to deal with half of the waste matter it currently sees.
London’s Victorian sewer network is an unseen masterpiece. Built when people took pride in the work they did, the vast network of sewers contains some of the finest architecture London has to offer, but only the select few get to witness.
Although the Victorian sewer system is overworked, most of the problems that face London’s residents don’t have to be problems at all. If we all took notice of what the water companies told us with regards to the disposal of waste, we would be able to live without many of the sewer problems that bring the city to a standstill.
One of the worst problems, that can be totally avoided, is the disposal of liquid fats into the waste water system. Liquid fat solidifies when it cools and creates a congealed mess that can block even the largest sewer. Only last year Thames Water removed over 1,000 tonnes of fat from the sewers under Leicester Square alone, and all because people don’t give the sewerage system the respect it deserves.