The facts about fatbergs

A fatberg is a solid mass found in the underground sewer pipes formed by the combination of non-biodegradable products, such as wet wipes, and congealed cooking oil, fat or grease. They smell rancid and they're very difficult to break down and remove.

Fatbergs create blockages in the sewer network and prevent the flow of dirty wastewater or sewage to our treatment works. Unfortunately, fatbergs can cause sewer flooding in the streets, homes and gardens and pollution to the local environment. This is why we want to prevent fatbergs from forming in the first place.

When we find a fatberg, we have to break it down using high pressure water jets. The lumps of fatberg can then be removed from the sewer network and disposed of responsibly. Or sometimes we can move the fatberg through the sewers to our treatment works for safe disposal. Removing fatbergs and repairing any damage to the network of underground pipes is costly and can take a long time.

No. Fatbergs typically have to be disposed of at landfill sites due to the contamination with non-biodegradable products, such as wet wipes.