How 300 bathtubs of concrete are ending up in Thames Water sewers every year

The equivalent of 300 bathtubs of concrete are ending up in sewers each year because construction companies are not disposing of building waste properly.Thames Water said firms needed to take more responsibility and crack down on illegal waste which costs an estimated £1.6 million to remove from the network.Special teams are using ultra-high-pressure jets to break it down before the concrete can be sucked out.

"We are urging construction companies to be more vigilant in their disposal of concrete, to prevent damage to our sewer network, as it takes valuable time and resource away from essential infrastructure upgrade," said Tim Davies, Head of Waste for North London. "The concrete removal process can be extremely complex. In many cases, we use high-pressure cutting units to break down concrete within the sewer before it can be safely removed."This work requires significant investment with expensive equipment, a large team of skilled engineers, and a considerable amount of time to complete."Our teams are working closely with construction companies across our communities to raise awareness of the serious damage and disruption caused by improper disposal."My message to businesses and contractors is simple: please ensure concrete is disposed of correctly. Preventing this issue in the first place is far more effective than dealing with the consequences later," he explained.

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