The sewers in east London are blocked by an “iceberg” of grease weighing around 100 tonnes. The block is made up of solidified fat, oil and grease and measures around 100 meters in length.
In a statement, Thames Water, a private company that is responsible for water and sewage services in the British capital, pointed out that the complete extraction of the “fat iceberg” is expected to take weeks and “serves as a reminder that what goes down the pipe does not disappear”.
The company asked for more care when pouring into sinks and toilets during the holiday season. According to Thames Water, London residents were not affected by the grease layer because the sewer blockage is only partial.
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In an interview with the BBC, the company’s head of operations in north London, Tim Davies, nicknamed the block of fat “fatberg” which means “fat iceberg” in Portuguese. He said the incident “shows exactly what happens when fats, oils and paper go down our pipes.”
“The cost of clearing blockages and repairing sewers adds up to tens of millions of pounds every year,” points out Davies, “and this money ultimately comes from our customers.”
Second incident
This is not the first time that a “fat iceberg” has been found in London. In 2017, another layer of blubber was found in the Whitechapel region. The block weighed 130 tons and was more than 250 meters long.
The fat block found this year was dubbed the “grandchild” of the 2017 fat layer.
According to Thames Water, fat blockages usually occur between December and January. The company asked people to avoid pouring creams and liquid foods such as sauces and broths down the sinks.
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