Guernsey Water encourages Islanders to consider the health of drainage system by joining Unblocktober campaign

Guernsey Water is encouraging Islanders and businesses to play their part in improving the health of Guernsey's water drainage systems.

For the first time, Guernsey Water is asking people to participate in the UK initiative Unblocktober, as the campaign builds on Guernsey Water's message asking people to only put the three Ps - poo, pee and paper - into the drainage network.

Unblocktober, which launched in 2019 and runs throughout October, was created to raise awareness of the items, materials and substances that are put into drainage systems and sewers and cause damage to the systems and the environment. 4,500 people and businesses pledged to take on the Unblocktober challenge in 2019, with the Environment Agency, the Marine Conservation Society and Water UK also supporting the campaign.

"Unblocktober complements the guidance that Guernsey Water issued in the summer as part of our 'Let's be clear' campaign, highlighting the best ways to get rid of items such as wet wipes, cooking oils and grease. This is the first time we have supported the Unblocktober campaign in Guernsey. Of course keeping our drainage systems clear is a priority all year round, but we hope that the campaign will remind Islanders to consider the items that they put into the water network," said Jon Holt, Guernsey Water's Operations Manager.

Those participating in Unblocktober are asked to commit to only pouring water into their drains and not flushing any items other than pee, poo or paper. The campaign focuses on:

- Cooking oil or fat
- Food, including crumbs or cooking sauces
- Anything containing plastic or hidden plastics, including wet wipes, sanitary products, nappies, contact lenses, dental floss, condoms or cotton buds.

"We deal with approximately 140 pump blockages a year at our pumping stations and proactively clean over 35km of sewer annually to avoid pipe blockages, so creating more awareness of what we put down our drains will help maintain a clean and safe drainage network as well as having positive knock on effects for our environment. Our teams have already been busy pre-cleaning sewers in preparation for the current bad weather, so keeping them clear is always a priority.

"Guernsey Water is pleased to support Unblocktober in the Island and we are looking forward to building on our 'Let's be clear' campaign over the coming months," added Mr Holt.

To sign up for the campaign please visit www.unblocktober.org and download the resource pack. For more information on the 'Let's be clear' campaign please visit water.gg, the Guernsey Water Facebook page, find Guernsey Water on Twitter @GuernseyWater or call 01481 239500.

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