HS Drain Services finds large fatberg blocking drain in Ledbury

The fatberg was causing a manhole on a private property in the town to overflow.

Harry Gough, of Ledbury firm HS Drain Services, said this type of blockage is one the company encounters fairly often.

“Fatbergs are caused by people putting the wrong things down their toilets and sinks,” he said.

“Items such as wet wipes, cotton buds, sanitary towels, cooking oils, food scraps and cat litter cause obstructions.

The drain was cleared after the fatberg had been discovered (Image: HS Drain Services)

“Over time, the sink and toilet waste runs through the partial obstruction, draining the liquid and leaving more solids behind to build up and up in the drain until it’s totally blocked, which causes a backup to the house.”

Stephen Reynolds, who runs HS Drain Services alongside Mr Gough, said: “In this case an old trap in the drain had become blocked, causing it to run through the rodding eye at a higher level.

“This resulted in a backup and buildup of fat and solids until it became totally obstructed.

“Once we had cleared the trap, we jetted out the buildup which allowed the drain to run free, thus solving the problem.”

HS Drain Services is a relatively new partnership between Mr Gough and Mr Reynolds, who have both been working in the Ledbury area for the past 15 years.

They say they have hit the road running, attending lots of local emergencies and jobs.

At another recent job, the two tradesmen found a septic tank backing up due to a failed soakaway. This was causing the line to the house to become blocked with fat.

“We had the tank emptied, installed a new 36-metre soakaway, and jetted and cleaned the entire line to the septic tank,” they said.

“We came across a large open joint which was also displaced, so we installed a patch liner over this to stabilise it.”