THE company which provides water to north Shropshire has warned residents to stop flushing kitchen roll down their toilets, after more than 3,000 reports of blockages.

Severn Trent has dealt with more than 3,000 reports of sewer flooding and blockages in the last two weeks, and reports more blockages being full of kitchen roll.

Severn Trent’s sewer blockages lead, Grant Mitchell, says the company understand the panic buying of toilet roll led to alternatives being sought, but urged residents to avoid creating unnecessary work for staff.

“We know just how worrying it is for everyone at the moment and we want to reassure our customers that we’re working really hard to keep our essential service running," he said.

"We know that some people are having to resort to using a whole manner of things to substitute for toilet roll at the moment, but a sewer blockage is the last thing that anyone needs right now.

"So we wanted to let everyone know that kitchen roll and wipes are not designed to break down like loo roll is so please remember to bin them otherwise you could end up blocking your sewer pipes.

“On top of doing one of the most mucky jobs out there, our teams are getting asked why they’re out and about a lot at the moment, but we want to reassure everyone they are only doing work that is essential.

"If more and more sewers need unblocking, they need to be out more, so please be understanding, as no-one really wants to dig out poo, kitchen roll and wipes.

“But all of this can easily be avoided, so if you do need to use something other than toilet roll, just remember to pop it in the bin, and not the toilet."

If you do run into problems, either with slow drains or a blocked sewer which is Severn Trent’s responsibility it can be reported at stwater.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 4444.