10 ton wad of congealed fat and sanitary products blocked London sewer

fatberg

A 40 meter lump of wet wipes and fat was so heavy that it broke a sewer in West London.

Stephen Hunt, a repair and maintenance supervisor at Thames Water, who is overseeing the fatberg's removal, said its size was staggering.

"We see blockages all the time on household sewer pipes, which are about big enough for a cricket ball to pass through, but to have this much damage on a sewer almost a metre in diameter is mind-boggling.

"The original sewer has been so badly abused by fat being chucked down the plughole we've had to opt for the time-consuming and disruptive option of replacing many metres of pipe."