Guernsey Water encourages islanders to flush only the three Ps

Guernsey Water is reminding islanders to flush only 'The Three Ps', pee, poo and paper. The reminder follows news of the introduction of a 'fine to flush' status on certain wipes in the UK.

Jon Holt, Guernsey Water's Operations Manager said: "Although we appreciate the 'fine to flush' status has been introduced to help reduce sewer blockages through the flushing of wipes in the UK, we remain to be convinced that the wipes will break down sufficiently to travel through our network without issue."

Following the release of its latest annual report, the utility advised it would be working to help islanders understand the importance of its wastewater network, what keeps it flowing and what should and shouldn't be flushed or disposed of down the drain.

"We are frequently addressing blockages within our network as a result of our pumping stations being overwhelmed with wipes and other items that should not be flushed. We have all seen the huge fatbergs within the media of late, although our blockages are on a smaller scale, the island's sewers are still being put under considerable strain" said Mr Holt.

Approximately 2 tonnes of non-biodegradable material is removed every week from Belle Greve Wastewater Centre following screening. Guernsey Water confirmed that the majority of this material was wipes.

"The wipes that are screened out at Belle Greve are the ones that make it through the network, in reality we know that there are many more within the sewers and pumping stations posing a very real risk of blockage.

We would like to take this opportunity to strongly advise and remind Islanders who use wipes to ensure they dispose of them responsibly in the bin, and not down the drain."

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