MEDIA RELEASE: 17 | 08 | 2018

Pic caption:A pile of wipes taken from one blocked drain - irresponsible use of wipes is costing water companies millions of pounds a year in additional maintenance costs.

Lanes pledges support for Thames Water wipe campaign

Lanes Group plc is backing a month-long campaign by Thames Water to get people to pledge not to flush wet wipes down the loo.

Wet wipes wrongly disposed of down toilets are one of the main causes of blockages in drains and sewers. Theyare also a key ingredient in sewer-clogging fatbergs.

Thames Water's campaign, which uses the hashtags #fightthefatberg and #binit, will urge customers and stakeholders to make a social media pledge to not flush wipes - and bin them instead.

Lanes Utilities is Thames Water's wastewater network services maintenance partner, so has day-to-day responsibility for clearing blockages and fatbergs caused by wet wipes.

Michelle Ringland, Head of Marketing at Lanes, said: "We will be wholeheartedly supporting Thames Water's social media campaign over the next month.

"Clearing blockages caused by wet wipes takes up resources that could be better directed at improving our WNS network. Also, removing fatbergs is a hazardous and challenging process. We'd be glad if our teams did not have to undertake the task so regularly."

Every hour Lanes wastewater engineers clear five blockages caused by wet wipes from Thames Water's sewer network. Over a year, 85,000 blockages caused by wipes and cooking fat are removed, at a cost of around £12 million.

As part of the campaign, Thames Water will be sharing results of a Wet Wipe Challenge. Shoppers in Reading were invited toshake two bottles, one containing water and toilet paper and the other water and a wipe.

Most were shocked at how the wipe stayed intact, instead of breaking up like the toilet paper, and pledged to bin the wipes.

Lanes Group:www.lanesfordrains.co.uk

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PR Contact:Andy Comber
Telephone: 01952 883526
Mobile: 07889 630440
Email: ac@matm.co.uk

About Lanes Group

Lanes Group plc is a national wastewater and drainage solutions provider. It sits at the heart of the drainage industry in the UK and Ireland, and is serious about delivering excellence in service, safety and innovation.

The company has a network of 32 depots and strategic utility hubs, providing high quality utility, drainage, and maintenance services for commercial, public sector and domestic customers. 

Specialist market sectors include water utilities, construction, energy, rail, highways, insurance and commercial maintenance.