Workers investigating a puzzling blockage that was creating a foul smell for dozens of households were astonished to discover the ‘despicable’ perpetrator – a Kevin the Minion toy.
A crew of engineers from Yorkshire Water were sent out to examine reports of blocked lavatories and a revolting odour in Sheffield. Upon inspecting a manhole, they unearthed several toys – including a battered Kevin the Minion figure from the Despicable Me movies.
Joe Sykes, wastewater regional operations manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “It’s certainly an interesting job being on the Customer Field Service frontline team. We never quite know what we might find when investigating a blockage or a domestic pollution incident.
“Teams have discovered abandoned boots, suitcases, rubber ducks and now, Kevin the Minion.”
Obstructions can lead to sewers and drains backing up and overflowing into properties and gardens. However, more than 40 per cent of all blockages in Yorkshire can be attributed to inappropriate items being washed down the sink or flushed down the loo.
Workers investigating a puzzling blockage that was creating a foul smell for dozens of households were astonished to discover the ‘despicable’ perpetrator – a Kevin the Minion toy. A crew of engineers from Yorkshire Water were sent out to examine reports of blocked lavatories and a revolting odour in Sheffield.
Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.
The harm, repairs and cleaning operation can prove extremely expensive across 20,000 miles of pipework throughout the region.
Joe added: “In this instance, not only was this a sad end to a much-loved toy, it’s also not child’s-play to remove things from drains and sewers that shouldn’t have been flushed down the toilet, thrown into manholes or poured down the sink in the first place.
“Anything other than the 3-P’s (paper, pee and poo) such as wipes, cotton-buds, fats, oils and grease (FOGs) can cause really serious blockages, damage property, the environment and cost a lot of money to fix.”
Yorkshire Water is providing guidance and suggestions on how minor alterations can benefit the environment through unblocktober.org..