Yesterday marked the start of a major seven-week national TV, radio and digital advertising campaign by Scottish Water,  backed by regional campaigns, aimed at prevent ing sewer blockages.

It has been almost a year and a half since Scottish Water launched its national campaign to urge customers to help keep the water cycle running and put an end to the high number of blockages caused by people putting the wrong things down their sinks and toilets.

Approximately 37,000 blockages in Scotland’s drains and sewer network last year were attended by Scottish Water and around 80 per cent of these were caused by people putting the wrong things down their sinks and toilets.

This phase of the campaign sees the utility targeting the message at customers in Inverness, Dingwall and Thurso. The locations will provide a hub for the campaign in the Highlands and have been selected as key areas that are amongst some of the worst in Scotland for blocked pipes.

Scottish Water has previously run campaigns in the other identified blockage hotspots of Dunfermline, Hamilton, Dumfries and Stirling where the company has been seeing a significant drop in the number of customers contacting them about blockages caused by wipes.

Chris Wallace, Director of Communications at Scottish Water, said:

“We are committed to reducing the impact of sewer blockages which can cause misery and flooding for our customers across Scotland.

“Our motivation for this campaign comes from the fact that such a large percentage of sewer chokes are entirely avoidable as they are caused by items such as wipes, nappies and sanitary items as well as fats, oils and grease being put down toilets and sinks.”

 “We hope to help inform and educate our customers and to make this information as accessible as possible. This will be achieved not only via our TV, radio and social media presence but on a real community level through local staff delivering the message to schools and our partnerships with, amongst others, local authorities and the NHS.”