Spider-Man scooter causes sewer blockage in Cork

A CHILD’S SPIDER-MAN scooter used to be the trigger of a blockage within the sewer community in Cobh, Co Cork final weekend.

Irish Water and Cork County Council’s wastewater group were notified of the blockage within the wastewater community at Marine Gates in Carrignafoy final Friday.

The crews were “unable to definite the tangled blockage” that day, Irish Water mentioned, but cleared it the subsequent morning. 

They stumbled on that a child’s Spider-Man scooter used to be “causing the obstruction from a deep manhole downstream”. 

A spokesperson for Irish Water mentioned it used to be unknown how the scooter entered the sewer system, but that it may perchance per chance have gotten there through a manhole.

The spokesperson mentioned this is one of many “incidents where of us discard and get rid of peculiar devices”. 

They warned that folks shouldn’t saunter shut to manholes “because of its potentially dangerous and it may perchance per chance most likely presumably presumably presumably consequence in thousands of euros worth of misfortune”. 

The Irish Water wastewater regional lead Pat Britton mentioned incidents love this trigger “enormous disaster”. 

“A majority of these issues can trigger significant misfortune to the community and cure plants,” Britton mentioned in an announcement.

“Between the City and County Council areas final year, we spent over €984,000 in 2020 on jetting and clearing blockages to again the community flowing. This used to be largely because of the reality that folks discard devices negligently.

“Blockages like it will furthermore trigger raw sewage to overflow onto footpaths, roads and waterways.”

He mentioned scooters are “contemporary” to search out in a sewer, but dozens of blockages a month are triggered by devices love wet wipes, cotton wool buds and nappies. 

“We would attraction to the general public to take into tale how they dispose of their atomize and to own sooner than they flush,” Britton mentioned.