Southern Water: Crowbar and Christmas lights found in sewers

People have been warned not to put unsuitable items down drains and toilets after a crowbar was found wedged in a wastewater pipe.

Southern Water said it dealt with 50,000 blocked pipes every year, mostly caused by wet wipes flushed down toilets and fat, oil and grease washed down kitchen sinks.

The firm said it had also uncovered bedsheets, a "wardrobe of clothes", soft toys and Christmas lights.

Alex Saunders, head of wastewater networks, said his teams had come across "weird and wonderful things" inside sewers but that the crowbar was "a new one on me".

The metal lever was discovered when Southern Water investigated a blockage near a pub in Tunbridge Wells.

Mr Saunders said: "When we're warning people to only put three Ps down the loo - poo, pee and paper... We never thought to include a crowbar in that list."

He said it appeared the crowbar had either been thrown or dropped down a drain cover, adding: "But the knock-on effect would have been very serious had we not reached the blockage."

Sewage blockages can cause manholes to spill over into watercourses, as well as causing pipes to back up and flood properties.

Southern Water said it had "improved" its response to blockages in recent years, with the addition of more than 22,000 artificial intelligence monitors which could detect when sewers in blockage hotspots were backing up.