MORE than 2,700 sewer blockages have been blamed on fat, grease and wet wipes being flushed down drains, Thames Water has said.

It costs the water company around £18m a year to clear more than 75,000 blockages, called fatbergs. Engineers will next week bring a 3D artwork of a giant fatberg into Swindon town centre, giving shoppers an idea of the kind of problems water workers face.

Unless people change their habits and chuck things like wet wipes and grease into the bin rather than down the loo, the problems caused by fatbergs will continue, Thames Water said.

According to the company, their polling suggests more than one in 10 people around Swindon flush wet wipes and nappies because they find it more convenient than putting them in the bin. Two thirds of people wrongly think items labelled as flushable can be flushed down the toilet without the problem.

The 3D fatberg will be at the fountain on Canal Walk/Regent Street on Wednesday, March 27. 9.30am to 1.30pm.