NI Water has revealed it spends around £2.5 million every year to unblock sewers.

The firm made the announcement after flagstones, chairs, wood, children's toys and bricks, were recovered from a blocked sewer in the Poleglass area in Belfast.

Gary Little, NI Water's Wastewater Field Manager for the Belfast area, said: "It seems some people have mistaken the public sewerage system for a skip, such was the quantity of rubbish and unwanted items we found in this case.

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"In all, NI Water staff spent three days removing items from this sewer that quite simply should not have been there. Unfortunately, we find inappropriate items like flagstones and toys in the sewers all too often. These, alongside what we call the 'Dirty Dozen' can cause severe damage to the sewerage system and result in serious blockages.

"The 'Dirty Dozen' are the most common items the public flush and dump down our sewers. The ring leader is the innocent looking baby wipe, closely followed by the sanitary towel. These ordinary household items head a gang of everyday products that cause mayhem with the sewer system when flushed down the toilet or dumped in the sewers."

Mr Little also called on the public and community representatives to support and work with NI Water to help resolve the issue.

(CD/LM)