Winnie the Pooh in deep shit…literally!

The cute bear went on quite an adventure, but this time it wasn’t to find his favorite thing, darling, and Piglet was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Winnie got into trouble because someone lost him in the sewer!

The cuddly toy is just one of the many special things that ended up in the sewers and now the water company is asking everyone to think about what ends up in the sewers.

Grant Mitchell, head of sewer blockages at Severn Trent, said: “Winnie really got into trouble after working his way through the sewer network and ending up in one of our treatment plants.

“This is obviously a funny story to tell, but while we are in Unblocktober, it does have an important message around blockages and what should and shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet or thrown down the drain.

“Anything that is not one of the three Ps, i.e. pee, poo and (toilet) paper, can cause blockages, as can fats, oils and grease poured down the drain. If these all build up in the sewer network, they can cause annoying and costly flooding in the customer’s home.

“When it comes to Winnie, don’t forget to hold on to those beloved cuddly toys or they’ll be on quite a nasty journey.”

The question for customers comes now that Unblocktober is back, as a reminder to think about what they flush down the toilet and put in the sink.

The key message for everyone to remember is: ‘Be a bin man, not a blocker’, as the water company’s waste crews have managed to clear a whopping 28,782 blockages, which could have been avoided if the wrong items were not left in the toilet and sink had been thrown.

Other weird and wacky things that have found their way into sewage treatment plants include a Ken doll, glasses, dentures, pieces of a garden shed and much more.

One of the biggest culprits of clogs is wet wipes. Even those that say “flushable” or “biodegradable” on the packaging don’t break down like toilet paper. In fact, they only cause huge problems when flushed, including blockages that cause sewage to flow into homes – something that is not fun for householders and also expensive to repair.

Around two and a half tonnes of wipes and other items that should not be flushed down the toilet are being removed from our sewers, while Severn Trent recently announced that 14 million liters of fats, oil and grease (FOG) have been successfully removed from the sewers . saving customers unnecessary and potentially costly trouble, which is the equivalent of SIX Olympic swimming pools from FOG.

For advice on blocking, visit stwater.co.uk/avoidblockages or visit our Sewer Stories for more information about the Unblocktober campaign at unblocktober.org.

Anyone who has a problem, for example due to a slow drain or a blocked sewer, can report it here or call 0800 783 4444.

By Ryan Merriman – Contributor