Marlow has been labelled a "fatberg hotspot" after a water company revealed that 30 homes in the town have been flooded with sewage as a result of fat and wipe blockages in the sewers. 

Thames Water says fatbergs - solid lumps of fat, sanitary items and wet wipes, which do not break down like toilet paper - are "wreaking havoc" in Marlow and Maidenhead's sewers. 

Engineers from the company clear at least two major blockages from the two town’s sewers every week, leading the area to be labelled a fatberg hotspot and target for a new awareness campaign.

Fatbergs block pipes and can cause sewage to back up into homes, businesses and public spaces, and pollute waterways and the wider environment.

Thames Water currently spends around £1 million a month clearing blockages from their drains across the Thames Valley.

In a bid to tackle the problem, Thames Water has launched a ‘Bin it – don’t block it’ campaign to encourage those putting fat down the drain, and wipes down the toilet, to understand the impact of their behaviour.

Thames Water’s head of sewer networks, Matt Rimmer, said: “Often people don’t realise the consequences of putting things other than human waste and toilet paper down their toilets and drains but it’s time for everyone to understand and take action.

“It’s not just fat that’s the problem but wipes, often labelled ‘flushable’, are a massive issue too.

"They may disappear when you flush the toilet, but they don’t break down in the sewer pipes.

"We’re lobbying manufacturers, government and retailers to correctly label the wipes as unflushable and to change what they’re made from, but in the meantime we need everyone to put a bin in their bathroom and stop flushing them."

During the campaign posters depicting a wet wipe, alongside poems about the impact blocked sewers have on private pipes and pockets - as calling out a plumber to clear a blockage from a property can cost over £200 - will be displayed on billboards and bus stops across Marlow and Maidenhead. 

Thames Water is also keen to dispel myths around what can and cannot be put into the sewers, including the belief that putting washing up liquid down the sink will stop fat blockages.

The company’s sewer experts also say items like nappies, condoms, sanitary towels, tampons and cotton buds should never be flushed but always binned.

For more information about Thames Water’s Bin it – don’t block it campaign visit www.thameswater.co.uk/binit