![\"Wet](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_SVR-NEC-201025-rvi-blockage.jpg\")
Wet wipes pulled out of a toilet at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle(Image: NHS)<\/p>\nA hospital trust said blocked toilets and drains cost it thousands.Wet wipes pulled out of a toilet at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle(Image: NHS)<\/p>\n
Blocked sewers cost Newcastle’s hospitals <\/a>thousands, warn bosses at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. Health bosses said the city centre hospital has seen a shocking 5,500 blockages in just three years.<\/p>\n The Newcastle Hospitals NHS<\/a> Trust – which runs both the Freeman <\/a>and RVI <\/a>– is now running a campaign with Northumbrian Water to urge people in hospital not to flush wet wipes.<\/p>\n This is a huge problem nationwide, but at the RVI’s New Victoria Wing alone there have been 3,000 blockages in just three years, with 2,500 elsewhere on the hospital site. Hospital bosses said each sewer blockage cost just short of a thousand pounds to sort.<\/p>\n The new campaign is called simply – “Bin the wipe.” Thomas Rutherford, senior engineering manager at Newcastle Hospitals said: “Flushing any wipes down the toilet can cause huge problems to our services and departments \u2013 plus its bad for the environment. Our toilets and sewer pipes are not designed for wipes.<\/p>\n “When a major blockage is identified, we often need to hire professional services to clear the blockages, repair the damage and clean the environment which can be costly and can impact on services. We really need your help and can make a massive difference by binning wipes.”<\/p>\n The hospital trust believes each case, on average, costs just short of \u00a31,000 to remedy. Across thousands of incidents, this adds up to a substantial amount of cash that could otherwise be spent on healthcare, they say.<\/p>\n Nationwide, estimates suggest that wet wipes cause blockages that cost \u00a3200m a year to deal with – and can flood roads and damage properties. So called “fine to flush” wipes are part of the problem, water board experts say, as this is simply not the case. Period products also contain a lot of plastic and should not be flushed.<\/p>\n Mark Wood, sewerage team leader at Northumbrian Water said: “More than 60% of the blockages in the North East are caused by wipes, and this is one of the biggest challenges that our teams face. Our Bin the Wipe campaign is all about raising awareness of how they settle or catch in pipes and create blockages, which can ultimately cause waste to back up into people\u2019s homes or to be forced out into the environment.<\/p>\n “We are appealing for customers or patients to help our teams by being more mindful when using wipes and to make one simple change – to Bin The Wipe. Please put it in the bin, not down the loo – even if the packaging claims to be flushable.”<\/p>\n Our ChronicleLive Daily newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here<\/strong><\/a>. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/inside-the-new-victoria-wing-at-newcastle-s-royal-victoria-infirmary-806096088.jpg\")
Inside the New Victoria Wing at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary<\/p>\n