Scottish Water said it has to clear around 35,000 chokes or blockages in its sewers because of items like wet wipes and sanitary products, with each blockage costing almost £300 to clear.
Scots are being warned against flushing unsuitable items like wet wipes down the toilet(Image: Getty)
Scottish households are saddling taxpayers with a staggering £10 million yearly burden by continuing to flush inappropriate items down their loos. Scottish Water tackles approximately 35,000 blockages and obstructions throughout its sewer network, mainly caused by wet wipes and feminine hygiene products being disposed of incorrectly.
Each clearance operation carries an average cost of nearly £300.
During 2025, Fife emerged as the worst offender with 2,767 reported incidents. Glasgow followed closely behind with 2,753 cases, whilst the Highlands recorded 2,344 blockages, reports the Scottish Daily Express. In stark contrast, Orkney registered the fewest problems with merely 42 incidents.
These statistics formed part of Scottish Water’s annual review, which also highlighted that Scots consumed over 470 billion litres of water throughout 2025, despite experiencing some of the most arid conditions witnessed in nearly two centuries.
Residential and commercial users nationwide consumed a combined total of 472 billion litres – equivalent to roughly 189,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools or exceeding the combined water volume of Loch Earn and Loch Katrine.
The state-funded organisation noted that these annual figures “tells a story of massive ongoing challenges on water resources related to climate change and of huge investment in improvements to its infrastructure and services to customers”.
The body further explained: “The weather – and specifically a lack of rain earlier this year and for much of the summer – is what prompted the company to call on customers to use water as efficiently as possible in homes and gardens.
“The publicly-owned utility faced these challenges to maintain normal supplies across the country but particularly in parts of the east.”
Scotland experienced its driest period from January to April since 1964, with the eastern regions witnessing their driest spell from January to August since 1959. The Backwater reservoir in Angus saw levels plummet to a mere 31.3% of its average in October, while the Lomond Hills reservoirs in Fife fell to just 21% of their combined storage, marking a 30-year low.
The report further emphasised: “Scottish Water is always reminding customers that water is our most precious natural resource and is always worth saving – even in winter – because resources next summer could be lower as a result of below average rainfall over winter and spring.”