Giant FATBERG clogs the drains in Belfast

Less than 40 miles from our Newry Grease Guardian Headquarters, NI Water has discovered another massive FATBERG that has brought streets in the busy city of Belfast to a standstill.

NORTHERN IRELAND WATER has appealed to home and business owners to be careful about what they put down their drains on a daily basis.

The appeal comes after NI Water crews spent a full day undertaking a massive project on the Dublin Road, Belfast, clearing fat, oil and grease (FOG) that has built up from locals pouring fat into the sewers rather than using grease traps and binning it.

‘The accumulation of FOG materials has caused a giant fatberg in the area, which crews have worked to clear’.  Gavin Mc Cready is the Network Sewage Manager for NI Water, he has stated “The Dublin road houses a number of fast food outlets, therefore the problem of FOG in the sewers is significant in this area.  While most businesses use grease traps and bin their waste correctly, those that don’t are contributing to a massive fatberg in the sewers around the area”.

Gavin says, it’s not the first fatberg they’ve encountered.  “We also recently discovered another fatberg on the Shankill Road which was so big, it rose to the top of the sewer and had been imprinted with the manhole!”

Gavin says “We would appeal to all our customers, especially food outlets, to dispose of their FOG appropriately. For householders, let it cool and then put it into the bin. Alternatively, pour it into a disposable container and take it to your local oil bank”.

Businesses also risk blocking their own drainage systems, which results in extra costs being incurred in clean-up efforts. These fat blockages can not only result in out of sewer flooding, but odour problems and the risk of rat infestations both near and beyond your premises.

There are many ways to dispose of FOG include fitting a grease trap which we here at Grease Guardian can size, quote, install and maintain for any size of kitchen.  Our range of Grease Traps start from the smallest of food sediment traps, to Automatic Grease Traps that are sized for under combi ovens or kitchen sinks to collect and skim off all the grease that would otherwise go down the drains and cause blockages.  You can check out our Grease Guardian range HERE.

Things that have recently been discovered caught up within these massive fatbergs but will NOT be filtered out by installing a Grease Trap include:

• A Bart Simpson doll
• Traffic cones
• Planks of wood
• Kittens
• Toy cars
• Barbies
• A baby car seat
• A six-foot Christmas tree
• A scooter
• A mop
• A banister
• A sofa
• A golf bag
• false teeth

NI Water crews are still carrying out on-going work within the Belfast area to clear FATBERGS from the sewers.  We appeal to everyone to be more conscious of what goes down our sinks.

If you want to find out more about FATBERGS, Best Kitchen Practices, Legislation and on our Grease Trap Range, do not hesitate to contact us HERE or email us at sales@greaseguardian.com. You may call 44 28 302 66616 for more information and a quote.

Grease Guardian