Stop the Pipe Monster campaign urges tenants to help prevent drain blockages

The Ministry for Housing has launched a new awareness campaign calling on tenants of Government estates to avoid flushing wipes and other non-biodegradable items down the toilet.

The Stop the Pipe Monster campaign aims to reduce the number of daily drain blockages reported to the Housing Department, many of which cause significant damage inside homes and to the drainage system. One recent incident involved sewage overflowing into a residence due to a blocked drain, which was described as both unpleasant and costly to resolve.

Items recently recovered from blocked drains include wipes, sanitary products, cat litter and even a pair of trousers.

The campaign encourages tenants not to “feed the monster” that lives in the drainage system by flushing inappropriate items. Stickers promoting the message have been distributed to Tenants’ Associations across Government estates.

The Minister for Housing, 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!”