Hair straighteners among bizarre items clogging sewers

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 31 Oct, 11:30 · Archive

Anglian Water has found hair straighteners, watering cans and a £5 note blocking sewers in the region.

Anglian Water has revealed some of the most unusual items found blocking its sewer network this year, including hair straighteners, watering cans, and a £5 note. The company clears roughly 35,000 blockages from its 76,000km of sewer pipes annually, with items combining with wet wipes, sanitary products, and fats, oils, and grease to create stubborn clogs.

Wet wipes remain a major problem, with an estimated 500,000 flushed daily in eastern England. Unlike toilet paper, wet wipes do not break down in water and can take more than 100 years to decompose. A 2025 survey found around 72 per cent of Anglian Water customers would flush wipes labelled 'fine to flush'.

Anglian Water is running its Just Bin It campaign to change customer behaviour and has welcomed new legislation in England banning the sale of wet wipes containing plastic from May 2027. The company is also calling for an end to 'flushable' claims on wet wipe packaging. Anglian Water's message to customers is to only flush the 3 Ps: pee, poo and paper.

How it is being reported

• The bizarre things being flushed down region's toilets and blocking sewersAnglian Water has found hair straighteners, watering cans and a £5 note in its sewers this year.East Anglian Daily Times · 31 Oct, 11:00
• The bizarre things being flushed down region's toilets and blocking sewersAnglian Water has found hair straighteners, watering cans and a £5 note in its sewers this year.Ipswich Star · 31 Oct, 11:00

In this story: Anglian Water · Lizzie Frost · eastern England

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