NI Water is pulling the plug on a ‘pooch poop problem’ that is plaguing areas in Lisburn and Carrickfergus. Residents in Lisburn’s Hammond Farm area and the Longfield Gardens area in Carrickfergus made the company aware that several dozen dog poo bags had been disposed of in their local sewer drains.
NI Water would like to remind the public that inappropriate items, including dog poo bags, should be disposed of properly in general litter bins – and if you can’t find one, then take it home and place it in your general domestic waste bin, not the food or garden bin.
NI Water’s networks field manager Peter Neeson explained a build up of inappropriate items in drains brings the potential to cause enivironmental pollution and out of sewer flooding:
“We are appealing to those disposing of dog poo bags in our sewers to stop. We are aware of some homeowners and tenants who are even lifting manhole covers and shovelling large volumes of dog faeces into the sewer. This causes the sewer to block and then requires our JetVac to vacuum the manhole to unblock the clog.
“We all must try to protect our local watercourses and the environment as much as possible. It may be a case that those who carry out these actions are not aware of the pollution incidents that can occur, so we are trying to educate everyone that disposing of any inappropriate item down the sewer can cause problems.
“We are particularly appealing to dog owners and dog walkers to remember that their actions are directly contributing to the pollution of local waterways, and this is not something we take lightly.”
NI Water would like to remind all customers that it is an offence to misuse a public sewer and those caught doing so can be brought to court or fined.
Peter said: “If you are caught misusing the public sewers, NI Water may seek to recover the costs of dealing with this and you could face prosecution.
“We recommend that all waste, including dog poos bags, should be kept well away from drains. It should be bagged and placed in a bin. We would ask that you ensure that
all such items are properly disposed of and so help protect the environment and prevent unnecessary blockages.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
NI Water would like to remind all customers that it is an offence under Article 168 of the Water & Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, to “throw, empty or turn, or suffer or permit to be thrown or emptied or to pass, into any public sewer or into any drain or sewer communicating with a public sewer, or into wastewater treatment works any matter likely to injure the sewer, drain or works, or to interfere with the free flow of its contents or to
affect prejudicially the treatment or disposal of its contents.
Media enquiries to the NI Water Press Office via email to press.office@niwater.com
