In its attempt to solve sewer blockage problems, Scottish Water has posted a video on the internet which has been taken from inside drain pipes. The video, which has been posted on YouTube, shows congealed cooking fats lining the insides of the pipes. Scottish Water said that oils and fats poured down drains were the main cause for the 3,500 drain blockages the drain maintenance staff had to attend to in the north every year.
Scottish Water hopes to demonstrate the damage being done by the public, through this video. A spokesman from the agency said that this was the latest method to prevent people from discarding used cooking grease into drains and plugholes illegally. Engineers frustrated with the frequency of drain blockages which caused sewers to affect the environment were the ones to record the revolting images with the help of a remotely operated camera.
The agency also said that chunks of fat – the size of footballs – had also affected Thurso’s water pumps. A clog in Nairn resulted in sewage spilling out into the River Nairn which flows towards beaches in the town. The agency’s Community Manager for the Highlands, Joanna Peebles said that staff believed that congealed fat was responsible for blockages 90 percent of the time.
She added that Scottish Water was doing as much as it could to control the situation, however, help from food establishments and the general public would definitely be appreciated.