Hotel fatbergs "cost taxpayers thousands"

Friday 19 June 2015

The States are hoping to pull the plug on hotels, restaurants and Islanders who cost us thousands of pounds per year by blocking our drains and sewers.

The team from TTS say hotels and restaurants are the worst offenders – tipping too much fat and grease down the sink but people living in big blocks of flats are also to blame for flushing stuff they shouldn’t down the toilet.

TTS Manager Shaun Maguire said: “Various substances and materials end up in sewers which can cause serious blockages in the Island’s sewer system. The main problems are caused by fat and grease being washed down sinks which form into large congealed lumps of lard called ‘Fatbergs’.

“Many blockages can also be caused by what we call ‘Rags’ – sanitary towels, disposable nappies, wet wipes, cotton wool buds etc. being flushed down toilets.

“The worst offenders are catering outlets and hotels that do not have adequate grease traps fitted or are poorly maintained. Areas with large concentrations of bedsits and flats are normally responsible for the ‘rag’ problem.”

It’s worth binning these things properly as anyone who gets caught could face a fine running into hundreds of pounds.

Shaun said: “The costs of constantly clearing blockages runs into thousands of pounds a year and also is a drain on our workforce who could be deployed somewhere else.”