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Unwanted Christmas gifts flushed down toilet
STRANGE things have been found down the sewers by Yorkshire Water workers – with a spate of unwanted Christmas presents seemingly discarded down the pan.
Sewage treatment works across the county have seen a steady flow of Christmas-related items, including Lego, toy racing cars and an assorted selection of cuddly toys.
The season of giving has also seen a number of Christmas trees – their tinsel decorations often replaced instead with toilet roll and other rags as a result of the journey they've been on – float into the works.
Staff believe they have been discarded down manholes as home owners began tidying up following the main day's festivities.
On top of all this Yorkshire Water's works have also been deluged with a steady flow of fat - a particularly big problem at this time of year as a result of people discarding run-off from their Christmas turkey and roast potatoes straight down the kitchen sink.
The company, which operates tens of thousands of kilometres of sewer, has also seen a growing trend among a small minority of customers for disposing of their unwanted rubbish in the system.
Earlier this year the company launched a public information campaign aimed at urging customers to dispose of their waste properly, or risk facing the potentially severe – and rather gruesome – consequences that can occur as a result, such as blocked pipes flooding people's homes with sewage.
Yorkshire Water spokesman Rumesh Chauhan said: "People abuse their sewers thinking someone else will always clean up their mess, but unfortunately it doesn't work like that.
"Through our 'Bin It, Don't Flush It' campaign, we're trying to highlight the problems that can occur as a result of people treating our sewers like a rubbish bin, and letting them know how they can play their part in preventing sewer flooding."
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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