Flushed Bra Causes Sewer Collapse

[WhistlingJack]

Flushed bra causes sewer collapse



A bra and a pair of knickers have been blamed for a flood and road collapse in County Durham.

Northumbrian Water said the underwear was flushed down a toilet and caused a blockage in a sewage pipe in Middleton-St-George, near Darlington.

Heavy rain, together with a build up of grease and fat, caused the pipe to burst and the road above to collapse.

The road will remain closed for days and Northumbrian Water estimates repairs will cost more than £15,000.

The company has now urged residents to think carefully about what they flush away.

A spokeswoman said: "If the underwear had not been flushed down the toilet, this would not have happened. It was very irresponsible behaviour.

"When we dug down to inspect the damage, we found a bra and knickers had snagged itself across the nine-inch diameter of the pipe.

"There was also a heavy build-up of grease and fat, which contributed to the situation. We were forced to repair a 2m section of sewer and a 10m section of road was affected.

"These pipes are not designed to carry bras and knickers."

The spokeswoman said it was impossible to trace the owners of the underwear.

She added: "Unfortunately no-one wants to even touch the offending items. They will remain bagged for a time and then disposed of properly."

Story from BBC NEWS:

Published: 2007/06/19 09:37:37 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[OldTimeRadio]

Around 35 years ago a college student in my neighborhood decided to cast plaster statues in his apartment bathtub.

He flushed the excess plaster down the drain.

The result was that the drains became packed with solid plaster out into the main sewer line beneath the busiest street in uptown Cincinnati.

And, no, this is NOT an urban legend. I learned it in gruesome detail from the resident landlady.

 

[TinFinger]

once tryed to flush jam

let it be said that its best avoided as it just wont flush,not ever...

 

[Beakmoo]

once tryed to flush jam

let it be said that its best avoided as it just wont flush,not ever...

It's hardly Denis Nielson though.

 

[OldTimeRadio]

In my account the other day of the student who ran plaster of paris down his bathtub drain I forgot to add that his parents carried "special" insurance on him which paid for all the damages.

They themselves described it as "klutz" insurance.

 

[escargot]

The drain was knackered to start with, probably after years of neglect. It was bound to block and cause a problem sooner or later.

People flush all sorts of odd things down the bog. Well-maintained sewers can cope with most of it.

 

[WhistlingJack]

Reading the story again, I'm left wondering if a phantom underwear-flusher could be partly responsible for the terrible recent floods...