South West Water reveals most bizarre sewer finds ahead of Halloween

Ahead of Halloween, South West Water is lifting the lid on some of the strange and spooky finds its teams have discovered beneath our streets this year.

A creepy baby doll lurking in a sewer, a lone shoe recovered from the depths underground and a pair of pants found where they certainly should not have been were among the unusual items discovered in sewers across the South West over the past ten months.

While carrying out routine maintenance and investigations across Cornwall and the wider region, South West Water's teams regularly come across items that were never meant to enter the sewer network.

Recent finds include:

• A creepy baby doll causing a blockage.
• A sack of rubble stuffed into a sewer.
• A pair of pants discovered in a pipe.
• A lone shoe recovered from a sewer.
• A children's toy buried among concrete underground.

While some of these discoveries may seem bizarre, they highlight the challenges South West Water faces every day in keeping the network flowing and preventing small problems from becoming much bigger issues.

Every day, teams work behind the scenes to maintain more than 25,000 kilometres of sewers across the South West.

From investigating reports of blockages and carrying out repairs to maintaining the network and responding to incidents, staff work around the clock to help protect homes, businesses, communities and the environment.

While some of the finds might raise a smile, putting the wrong things down toilets and drains can have serious consequences.

Items that enter the sewer network can become trapped in pipes, causing blockages and restricting the flow of wastewater. These blockages can increase the risk of sewer flooding, disrupt services for customers and contribute to pollution incidents.

Jay Harris, Wastewater Director at South West Water, said: "A baby doll blocking a sewer is certainly one of the more unusual things we've come across recently, but our teams often find items that simply shouldn't be in the sewer network.

"Every day our teams work behind the scenes to keep the network flowing and protect the environment, often dealing with the consequences of items that have been incorrectly flushed or disposed of.

"While some discoveries can be surprising, they highlight an important message. The sewer network is designed to carry wastewater, and unexpected items can cause blockages that put pressure on the network and increase the risk of pollution.

"That's why we're encouraging everyone to think before they flush this Halloween and help keep the network flowing."

South West Water is reminding customers to only flush the three Ps: pee, poo and paper, and to dispose of all other waste responsibly.

Because when it comes to our sewers, the things lurking beneath our streets may be surprising, but the real horror story is what happens when the wrong items go down the drain.

For more information, visit South West Water's Bin It, Don't Block It campaign.

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