On Friday 26th June, presenter Nick Knowles was in the Morning Live studio to talk about fatbergs.
These are the big, hardened blockages of fats, oils and greases that combine with other items that can cause real problems in sewer systems and drains. If you suspect a blockage near your home, then in the first instance you should contact your water company.
If you can see or suspect that a blockage might be causing sewage to leak out into the environment, then you can also call the relevant environmental agency.
In England, the relevant body is the Environment Agency (EA), and you can report environmental incidents to it on the hotline number listed below, or by visiting this link, external.
Environment Agency 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60
In Wales, the relevant authority is Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales and you can report environmental incidents to it on the hotline number listed below, or by visiting this link, external.
Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales 24-hour incident service: 0300 065 3000
In Scotland you can report pollution to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
You can call SEPA’s 24-hour pollution hotline on 0800 80 70 60, or you can report an environmental event online by visiting this link, external.
In Northern Ireland you can report pollution to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). You can do this via the incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 which is available 24 hours a day.
For pollution issues that are not urgent and do not need immediate attention you can email NIEA on emergency-pollution@daera-ni.gov.uk.
