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Thames Water

A 130-tonne 'monster fatberg' is clogging up London sewers

It’s going to take around three weeks to clear out the rock-solid mass.

SEWAGE WORKERS HAVE found a 130-tonne ball of congealed fat – dubbed a “monster fatberg” – clogging a Victorian-era sewer in London, utility company Thames Water said Tuesday.

Engineers expect it will take up to three-weeks to remove the rock-solid mass of festering food fat mixed with sanitary wipes found in drains under a major road in Whitechapel, east London.

“This fatberg is up there with the biggest we’ve ever seen. It’s a total monster and taking a lot of manpower and machinery to remove as it’s set hard,” Matt Rimmer, Thames Water’s head of waste, said in a statement.

“It’s basically like trying to break up concrete. It’s frustrating as these situations are totally avoidable and caused by fat, oil and grease being washed down sinks and wipes flushed down the loo,” he added.

Images show that the sewer totally blocked by the 250-metre long fatberg.

An eight-member crew is removing an average of 20 to 30 tonnes a day, the statement explained, using high-powered jet hoses to break up the mass which is then sucked out into tankers.

Whitechapel Fatberg 1 Thames Water Thames Water

Weighing the same as 11 double-decker buses, the fatberg easily eclipses the one found in 2013 in Kingston, southwest London.

Described at the time as Britain’s biggest ever fatberg, it weighed 15 tonnes and took ten days to clear up.

Thames Water clears up an average of three fat related blockages and five blockages caused by items including wet wipes every hour from its sewers in London and the Thames Valley.

It costs the company around €1.1 million a month to do so.

 © – AFP 2017

Read: This giant fatberg has clogged the sewers in Belfast

Read: Warning as ‘oily fatbergs’ turn up on Irish beaches

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    Mute Crocodylus Pontifex
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:37 PM

    I think I used to go out with its sister

    555
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    Mute Diogenes
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    Sep 12th 2017, 10:20 PM

    @Crocodylus Pontifex: lol, oh mercy.

    17
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    Mute Emmet Dillane
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:44 PM

    The guys who do this job should be on about 2 grand a week.

    354
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    Mute Ladude
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:16 PM

    @Emmet Dillane: to be fair women need to be doing most of this work….period

    251
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    Mute Emmet Dillane
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:26 PM

    @Ladude:
    Shocking there are no gender quotas on this.
    Absolutely shocking.

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    Mute Gillian Weir Scully
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:31 PM

    @Ladude: Funny…ish! So how do you get rid of tampons and towels seems too messy not to flush? Although I think someone mentioned something that could be used that was reusable, safe and long term cheaper? Moon something?

    8
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    Mute Peadar Ó Gréacháin
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:34 PM

    @Emmet Dillane: why they probably donated………

    5
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    Mute Ladude
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    Sep 12th 2017, 9:12 PM

    @Gillian Weir Scully: there should be some women down there, seriously.

    33
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    Mute Catherine Sims
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    Sep 12th 2017, 9:19 PM

    @Ladude: How do you know there isn’t women down there ??

    31
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    Mute Dearbhla Russell
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    Sep 12th 2017, 9:27 PM

    @Gillian Weir Scully: moon cup

    11
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    Mute Gillian Weir Scully
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    Sep 12th 2017, 10:14 PM

    @Dearbhla Russell: Thank you no idea why so hard to remember.

    1
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    Mute Diogenes
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    Sep 12th 2017, 10:26 PM

    @Gillian Weir Scully: burn them they’re from the devil tampons, women all evil.

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    Mute Felicity Hensen
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    Sep 12th 2017, 10:39 PM

    @Ladude: Sanitary wipes are not feminine hygiene products – pads & tampons.

    15
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    Mute Bridget O'Hanlon
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    Sep 13th 2017, 12:39 AM

    @Emmet Dillane: an hour

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 13th 2017, 7:51 AM

    @Felicity Hensen: and I wonder which of the three you’ve mentioned are taxed as luxury items! Still!!!

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    Mute siobhan pat mulcahy
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:50 PM

    Wet wipes should be banned. Wrecking our oceans too.

    198
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    Mute Gillian Weir Scully
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:24 PM

    @siobhan pat mulcahy: They are not supposed to be flushed and are heaven sent for wiping bottoms.

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    Mute Ciaran Whyte
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:28 PM

    6 beers and 1 curry… I could match that

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    Mute Dj
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:53 PM

    @Ciaran Whyte: That would be more slurry like. If anything it would grease the pipes up.

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    Mute Jamie
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:26 PM

    Wonder how long it takes for something like that to get to that size

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    Mute Gillian Weir Scully
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:35 PM

    @Jamie: What they need to do is give everyone a bag of bicarbonate of soda get the to dissolve it in the toilets and flush. OR use one of those big yokes they use for breaking through ice to fish!

    11
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    Mute Dave Hogan
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:36 PM

    Phew, thought it was George hook trying to find refuge from his tormenters.

    128
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Sep 12th 2017, 10:15 PM

    @Dave Hogan: yeah poor little victim George being victimised by rape survivors who won’t let him judge or blame him and the people who support them. The poor big baby.

    23
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    Mute Matt Donovan
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:33 PM

    A guy called Rimmer in charge of unblocking sewers filled with shite. You couldn’t make it up

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    Mute Matt Donovan
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    Sep 12th 2017, 9:14 PM

    @Jayo Breathneach: lol. Smoke me a kipper skipper. I’ll be back for breakfast.

    25
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    Mute Billy Connelly
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:11 PM

    And the English will blame the foreign take aways chucking grease down the drain. Could be right though. Just imagine whats it does to the human body

    44
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    Mute MK76
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:41 PM

    A utility that looks after the water infrastructure in London. What were they thinking? They could have just gotten the other guy to pay to clean up this mess.

    44
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    Mute eastsmer
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:48 PM

    @MK76: Yeah, maybe they should send over Mr. Tierney, he could spend some of his half a million bonus/pension/salary over there to reduce the burden.

    33
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    Mute eastsmer
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:53 PM

    @MK76:
    Water privatisation looks little more than an organised rip-off.
    https://www.ft.com/content/2beee56a-9616-11e7-b83c-9588e51488a0

    UK Water Privatisation looks little more than an organised rip-off.
    Bills are rising to fund massive shareholder payouts.

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    Mute MK76
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    Sep 12th 2017, 9:04 PM

    @eastsmer: In the “Opinions” section I see.

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    Mute MK76
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    Sep 12th 2017, 9:07 PM

    @eastsmer: Like I said previously, I’m against the level of Public Sector pay.

    But perhaps instead of ignoring it this time, perhaps you can opine on why Brendan Ogle, leader of the Right2Water group, fought so vehemently to protect the payments at ESB, you are now highlighting here.

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    Mute eastsmer
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    Sep 13th 2017, 1:48 AM

    @MK76: I don’t remember ignoring any comment ?
    Anyhow – I have no idea what Brendan Ogle does or does not do.
    If he is the leader of the Right2Water group well then fair dues to him.
    In all honesty maybe we should ask him ?
    I presume he did that with his Trade Union hat on ?

    4
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    Mute The Thinker
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:03 PM

    After spending time in England, and seeing the lifestyle, this doesn’t surprise me.

    25
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    Mute Jimmyjoe Wallace
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:17 PM

    @The Thinker: do you honestly think we are any better? Our lifestyle mirrors theirs in almost every way

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    Mute Billy Connelly
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:32 PM

    @Jimmyjoe Wallace: luckily we’ve irish water to dislodge our fatbergs though.

    18
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    Mute Renee Barrett
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    Sep 12th 2017, 9:04 PM

    The problem appears to be caused by people putting used cooking oil down the kitchen sink and flushing wet wipes down the toilet.

    23
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    Mute Robert O'Rourke
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:44 PM

    Grease me up woman!

    29
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    Mute Paddy
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:26 PM

    It’s mostly them wipes they clog up any system

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    Mute iBob101
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:35 PM

    Yeah, sorry about that. Bad curry.

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    Mute Brian MacCarthaigh
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:38 PM

    Thanks very much, I was just about to eat my dinner. Yuck!!

    14
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    Mute Brian O Reilly
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    Sep 12th 2017, 10:08 PM

    I thought the rats would make short work of it.

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    Mute Joe Smith
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    Sep 12th 2017, 10:56 PM

    @Brian O Reilly: Nope….even rats have limits. ( I mean the 4 legged kind)

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    Mute Tracy Boylan
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    Sep 13th 2017, 12:27 AM

    I do always think a lot is due to wipes and grease,but what about silcocks base cream etc that many people have to wash with in hospital or at home?that turns back into a solid?

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    Mute John
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    Sep 13th 2017, 1:17 AM

    @Tracy Boylan:
    There is a ‘Curry Shop’ in the background picture not a dermatology clinic, Sherlock Holmes is betting it’s grease.

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    Mute Ronan Healy
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    Sep 13th 2017, 12:35 AM

    Why not recycle..candles, cooking oil or brylcream perhaps

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    Mute Joe Keogh
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    Sep 13th 2017, 1:40 PM

    @Ronan Healy: I think they should make a film of it?

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    Mute Brian MacCarthaigh
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:38 PM

    Thanks very much, I was just about to eat my dinner. Yuck!!

    5
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    Mute decky smith
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    Sep 12th 2017, 7:48 PM

    Where does the shite go In the meantime, into the Thames

    14
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    Mute Patrick Fitzgibbon
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:33 PM

    Should add it to some of the fast food menu boards ….

    3
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    Mute eldeego
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:26 PM

    If only there was “E” instead of the “I” in the background all would be complete.

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    Mute Minom Pnom
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    Sep 13th 2017, 9:42 AM

    Brian Cowen is on holiday in London?

    3
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    Mute brains mc
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    Sep 12th 2017, 8:56 PM

    All yous filty women an ya bloody tampons bin them an stop flushes them animals

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    Mute Felicity Hensen
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    Sep 12th 2017, 11:34 PM

    @brains mc: Sanitary wipes are *not* feminine hygiene products.

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    Mute Adrian Connolly
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    Sep 13th 2017, 2:26 AM

    @brains mc: maybe if the look around, they’ll find a blue string and they can just pull the blockage out. :)

    7
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