Maltby fatberg possible cause of stink

Raw sewage has been spilling into Maltby Dike which runs near houses and underneath a section of the 12th-century Roche Abbey.

Residents says they could smell the odour of sewage in their home, including sometimes when they were running a bath.

Others said water workers sent to take samplings and eliminate the stench had warned them not to allow their dogs into the stream.

Historically, Maltby Dike has had many problems with pollution one dog walker said silt from the long-closed Thurcroft Pit used to wash down into the water course, turning it grey.

He said that there was fresh gossip in Maltby that Canine Parvovirus had recently been detected in the water.

However, Severn Water Trent said fat, oil and grease tipped down kitchen sinks was a likely reason why sewage had been discharged into the dike.

They have also explicitly warned their consumers against throwing “unflushables” down the toilet.

“Our teams have been working hard to clear a blocked sewer pipe, which we believe has caused wastewater to back up and spill over into the surface water network, eventually reaching Maltby Dike” said a spokesperson.

“Locating the blockage was more complicated than we initially thought, because of the distance from the dike.

“Despite these challenges, we’re pleased to say the blockage has now been cleared.

“To minimise the impact on the local community, our teams put a number of measures in place while we were working in the area, including the installation of a boom out on the watercourse to contain the spillage, and regular sampling.

“Our initial investigation suggests the blockage was caused by fat, oil and grease being poured down the sink, and sanitary items like wet wipes being flushed down the toilet.

“Together, they can form a blockage, or even a fatberg, which often can have a devastating impact on people’s homes and the local environment.

“Customers can avoid nasty sewer blockages by only flushing pee, poo and paper down the loo.

“Everything else, including used cooking fats, oils and greases and other unflushables such as sanitary products and nappies should be disposed of in the bin.”

When the Advertiser checked out the dike, it appeared reasonably clean \_ apart from one contaminated section (pictured above).