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100‑Tonne Fatberg Found in Whitechapel Sewer

Thames Water forecasts a weeks-long extraction linked to poor household disposal habits.

Overview

  • The blockage spans roughly 100 metres in east London and consists of congealed fats, oils, grease and non‑flushable waste.
  • Thames Water issued a festive-season advisory urging residents to scrape plates, fit plughole strainers and avoid pouring gravy, cream or oils down sinks.
  • The utility reports that fats, oils and grease cause more than 20,000 blockages annually across its network, accounting for about 28% of incidents.
  • Blockages typically rise in December and January, with clearance over those two months costing about £2.1 million and wider annual sewer repairs running into tens of millions paid by customers.
  • The find has been compared with Whitechapel’s 2017 fatberg, which stretched over 250 metres and weighed around 130 tonnes.