Whitby householders' toilet warning after discarded fishing rod blocks sewer

The fishing rod had caused other unflushables, including wet wipes and sanitary items, as well as wastewater from nearby properties to become stuck in the network.

The rod was discovered by Yorkshire Water’s customer field services team after they removed the blockage and returned the sewers flows back to normal.

Miles Cameron, regional operations manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Every day our teams find blockages like this, caused by unsuitable items being discarded into the network.

“Blockages like this can lead to sewage backing up in the network, people being unable to use their toilets, as well as sewage escapes into the local environment or into local watercourses.

“It is important people consider the impact or throwing items into the sewer that should not be there.”