Yorkshire’s most disgusting art exhibition comes to Barnsley

Yorkshire Water is set to reveal the truly disgusting items that have caused blockages in the region’s sewers, in a pop-up exhibition at The Alhambra Shopping Centre in Barnsley.

On Wednesday 12 February, visitors will be granted access to ‘The Cabinet of Curiosities’ - a gallery of truly stomach-turning scenes featuring the more unusual items removed from pipes by Yorkshire Water’s blockages team. 

Along with the classic offenders – wipes, sanitary items, grease and fat - the exhibit will display more obscure and revolting discoveries including cuddly toys, boots and frying pans, in an attempt to demystify what causes blockages and how everyone can play their part in preventing them. 

Visitors can expect to: 

• Visit Yorkshire’s dirtiest exhibition, showcasing the un-flushable fats and foreign objects found in our sewage system in high end art form
• See real life blockage items found in Yorkshire’s sewers on display
• Receive free goody bags
• Find out information on blockages and investment in Barnsley
• Meet Yorkshire Water’s friendly beast - the Wipesaur!

James Harrison, head of customer field services at Yorkshire Water, commented: “In our cabinet of curiosities, customers will discover a small part of the world our wastewater team deals with every day. From fats, oils and greases, to wipes and the even more bizarre – you may be surprised to discover what ends up in our pipes. 

“Avoiding blockages and knowing what you can and can’t flush is so important, as blockages are costly to remove and can cause flooding and pollutions which harm the environment." 

The exhibition will be on the lower level (outside Iceland and Poundstretcher) in The Alhambra Shopping Centre, Barnsley, S70 1SB between 9:00am and 5:30pm on Wednesday 12 February. 

Investing in Barnsley 

The exhibition is coming to Barnsley as part of Yorkshire Water’s £180 million storm overflow investment in the region before April 2025. A £9.3m investment is underway to reduce the number and duration of discharges from four storm overflows in Hoyland, Jump, Elsecar and Cudworth. Yorkshire Water is also investing £2m in additional storage in the sewer network, near Barugh Green, and a further £2.5m in a storm overflow in Mapplewell, to reduce the number of discharges into the river Dearne.