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Metro Rod Mid Wales & Shropshire Find Shrewsbury’s own Fatberg.

24th August 2018

Metro Rod Mid Wales & Shropshire Find Shrewsbury’s own Fatberg.

There has been plenty of media coverage lately regarding Fatbergs blocking sewers around the country. It just so happens that here at Metro Rod Mid Wales and Shropshire we have had our own Fatberg. We received a callout to Pride Hill Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury. With a complaint of bubbles coming from an concrete covered manhole in the compressor room. On attending the site there literally was bubbles coming through concrete in the ground. After speaking to the maintenance engineer it seems this room has been in the same condition for many years.

Firstly the engineer began with chipping away at the concrete which unearthed a manhole. The more the engineer chipped away the more water was seeping from it and the stench was unbearable. After a couple of hours he fully uncovered the manhole to find it was screwed down and virtually impossible to lift, at this point another engineer was requested and both went to work with crow bars. Eventually the manhole and its frame came out in a tangled mess the underneath had corroded badly from the fat.

 

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Breaking It Down.

At this point it became apparent that there was a tremendous amount of fat built up within this Chamber. The pressure below started to slowly push upwards and a steady flow of water and fat flowed from the manhole flooding the compressor room which had electrical equipment within the room. Our Vactor Tanker was called to help stem the flow of water with its ability to vacuum large chunks. The engineers had to improvise as the scale of the job was becoming more evident. Making cutting tools to loose the lumps of fat below, the Tanker arrived to everyone's relief and was able to remove a substantial amount of water and pieces of the Fatberg that had been broken down. By the end of the day we had pulled nearly a Tanker load of water and fat from the manhole.

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On our return the next morning it was full to the brim but hadn't overflowed. So the Tanker removed the excess water again to the point the Fatberg was evident below. The Tanker with its specialist equipment managed cut and clear big parts of the Fatberg whish made life easier. This continued all day to the point the Tanker couldn't reach any further. The engineers had to use improvised cutting tools to break down the difficult to reach areas. By the end of the day the chamber had become to show itself it was an old Victorian culvert that ran Under the streets of Shrewsbury. Our engineers and the maintenance engineers from pride hill found it a surreal moment as it had not been seen in years.

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Finishing Off.

We cut down enough to be able to get the high pressure water jet in and start blasting the lines up and down stream. This was necessary to try and restore a good flow to the culvert and break down any lumps that were hanging on. At this point the engineers had completed clearing the drain with nearly two tankers full of water and fat removed. The only thing left to do was reinstate the manhole which due to its age was now not in circulation so we had one manufactured. Installed it and disinfected the whole room to its former standard. The only question left to ask was where did the Fatberg come from and which part of Shrewsbury?

Any issues with blocked drains or gullies in Shrewsbury, Telford or Mid Wales areas call before your own Fatberg appears.

 

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