Wet wipes blockage weighing a tonne pulled out of sewer pipe near Newcastle

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/monster-wet-wipes-blockage-pulled-out-of-sewer-pipe/7199230

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PHOTO: Wet wipes pulled out of a Hunter Water sewer pipe in February 2016 in Eleebana, NSW. The other half had to be removed by hand. (Supplied: Hunter Water)

A massive blockage made up of wet wipes and sewage pulled from an underground pipe near Newcastle has highlighted the problem of the increasing use of wet wipes.

The Hunter Water Corporation tweeted a photo of the blockage, which was removed in January using a crane and buckets in the Lake Macquarie suburb of Eleebana.

Hunter Water's Nick Kaiser said the wipes were becoming increasingly popular with adults around the world.

"The wet wipes are being advertised as basically an extra way to freshen yourself up after the bathroom," he said.

"The whole flushable wet wipe issue is actually a global issue."

Hunter Water said its Eleebana sewage pumping station had been damaged as a result of the blockage.

The corporation said the blockage had weighed about a tonne and took four hours to remove.

PHOTO: Queensland Urban Utilities removes about 120 tonnes of wet wipes from its system every year.(ABC News: Elise Worthington)

PHOTO: A 'fatberg' removed by Yarra Valley Water in Victoria. (Supplied: Hunter Water)http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/monster-wet-wipes-blockage-pulled-out-of-sewer-pipe/7199230