Fatberg the size of four buses likely birthed poo balls that closed Sydney beaches – and it can’t be cleared

Fixing the giant fatberg at Sydney Water’s Malabar deepwater ocean sewer would require shutting down the outfall, which would close Sydney beaches ‘for months’, a report says. Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian design

A giant fatberg, potentially the size of four Sydney buses, within Sydney Water’s Malabar deepwater ocean sewer has been identified as the likely source of the debris balls that washed up on Sydney beaches a year ago.

Sydney Water isn’t sure exactly how big the fatberg is because it can’t easily access where it has accumulated.