The Ministry for Housing have launched an awareness campaign, asking tenants of Government estates to think twice before flushing wipes and other products down the toilet.

Blockages of the draining systems are reported daily and some cause significant damage inside homes, as well as in the drains themselves. This week a blocked drain caused sewage overflow into someone’s home in an unpleasant incident which was expensive to fix but was entirely avoidable.

Wipes, sanitary products, cat litter and even a pair of trousers have all recently caused drain blockages and overflows.

The Stop the Pipe Monster campaign calls tenants to action by asking them not to feed the monster that lives on wipes and other products in the drains. Stickers have been distributed to Tenants’ Associations to help them convey this message throughout the estates.

The Minister for Housing, the Hon Pat Orfila, said: ‘The Housing Department are receiving daily reports of drain blockages caused by tenants flushing inappropriate items down their toilets. Usually this means an unpleasant experience with sewage overflows for that family and their neighbours, and also means that money that could be used to improve the estate is instead spent on fixing these problems that can be avoided with some common sense and civic pride.

‘Please think twice before flushing anything down the toilet. Even wipes that say they are flushable can get stuck in the drains and cause a blockage, so it’s best to simply throw them in the bin. Stop the pipe monster: don’t feed it your rubbish!’