A BLOCKAGE of wet wipes and other foreign objects was pulled from a sewage pumping station at Gargrave and prevented the pollution of the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
An early alert Samotics system, implemented by Yorkshire Water to detect equipment failure before it occurs, had alerted the water company to the problems and teams were sent to investigate.
There a blockage caused by wet wipes and other objects which had been flushed down toilets was found and dealt with.
The blockage could have caused the pump to fail and led to pollution of the local environment and the canal, but Yorkshire Water’s quick intervention prevented the blockage from causing any pollution and wider impact on local customers, a spokesman said.
Due to the early alert system, the blockage was identified and resolved within six hours of the first alert of a problem with the pumping system.
Matt Armitage, from Yorkshire Water, said: “We take our responsibility for the environment seriously and are always looking at new ways of tackling blockages to prevent pollution of local watercourses.
"Our work with Samotics means our teams are alerted before an equipment failure and they can quickly take action to correct issues before they develop into something more serious.
“On this occasion, wet wipes and other objects flushed into the network, had begun to impact the pumps at one of our pumping stations in Gargrave. By having early alerts in place our teams were able to attend, remove the blockage and ultimately prevent the failure of the pumps and the potential pollution that would cause.”
Much has been written about problems with wet wipes, even those which state they are flushable. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), says on its website: "Wet wipes are the cause of 90 per cent of sewer blockages around the United Kingdom. They pollute the water and cause damage to wildlife. Even “flushable” wipes are not safe to flush. When flushed, they mix with grease and other refuse, causing major sewer blockages. Then, because they don’t break down, they can be a major source of pollution in oceans.
"When wildlife ingests wet wipes or the (micro) fibres that are released, the plastic stays in their stomach and often leads to starvation. Ingesting plastic has been recorded in over 240 animal species, often resulting in injuries and death. If you can't give up wet wipes completely just yet make sure to put them in the bin after use; never flush them."
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