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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Rod Minchin

Spooky doll’s head is a nightmare for sewer crew

A spooky doll’s head has proved to be a nightmare for a sewer crew after causing a blockage.

The creepy character was found lurking in a Bristol sewer by Wessex Water, who want to avoid more blockage horror stories this Hallowe’en.

The head of a child’s doll, complete with gruesome hair made up of flushed wet wipes, gave sewerage workers a fright after they were called to investigate a blocked toilet.

Flushing anything other than the three Ps – paper, poo and pee – down the loo can block pipes and lead to sewage flooding your home, or someone else’s
— Wessex Water

Left drained by attempts to dislodge it with rods and jetting equipment, the team eventually had to smash through the head and pull it from the sewer on the end of a hose.

It is not the first time toys have been discovered in the Wessex Water network, with Peppa Pig and even the elusive fish Nemo found in sewers previously.

The company has a chilling warning for anyone thinking of pulling the chain on unwanted playthings.

“Flushing anything other than the three Ps – paper, poo and pee – down the loo can block pipes and lead to sewage flooding your home, or someone else’s,” a company spokesman said.

“The biggest cause of these blockages are wet wipes, which often contain plastic and don’t break down like toilet paper.

“They end up in rivers and the environment and cause pollution incidents, as well as contributing to fatbergs in sewers.”

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