Chilly Above and Below Ground!
21 January 2016 16:52
Alec McQuillan, NI Water’s Head of Wastewater, commented: ‘‘NI Water is quite often called upon to remove blockages from sewers, but removing a fridge was a new challenge even for our experienced teams! Highlighting the discovery of a chilly appliance is an apt message for this time of year, with winter foremost in everyone’s mind, however, it comes with a strong reminder for everyone to keep the sewers clear of blockages of any kind, large or small. The careless actions of a few have caused misery to local residents. NI Water will never win the battle to keep our sewers clear alone; we need the support of the entire community to make this happen.
‘‘Even leaving unusual items like fridges aside, flushing of everyday items like household wipes, baby wipes, sanitary towels etc., are a very common cause of sewer blockages across Northern Ireland, and NI Water is literally fighting a daily battle to keep the sewers clear, at a cost of £2.5 million per year.’’
Fridges of course are renowned for being chilly, but make them the only source of internal cold this winter - NI Water is continuing to remind property owners to ‘Beat the Freeze’ and protect internal water pipes and fittings in order to prevent bursts. Although winters in the last few years have been relatively mild, there is no guarantee that truly severe weather conditions will not return, and if you are unprepared, that could lead to the misery of burst pipes and flooding.
There are simple procedures the general public can carry out in order to ‘Beat the Freeze’. These include knowing where your stop-valve is and keeping the contact number of a registered plumber on hand to deal with any bursts on your property.