Ladders removed from Dewsbury sewer

Yorkshire Water is warning against disposing of unwanted items in sewers after finding an extension ladder part in a Dewsbury sewer. 

The item was luckily found before a severe blockage was caused. Blockages from items such as this can lead to sewage escaping the network onto roads, gardens or even into properties.  

The ladder was discovered by Yorkshire Water’s customer field services team who remove blockages on a daily basis. 

Matthew Hughes, regional operations manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Our teams clear blockages in our network every day and have seen all manner of unsuitable items – from stanley knifes to boots, but an extension ladder is definitely one of the largest items we’ve removed. 

“It’s important that people realise that there are consequences to using manholes as bins to throw away unwanted items.  

“All we want in the network is the three Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper, anything else causes serious problems and blockages which will cause sewage to back up into neighbouring properties.”