The number of blockages in Scotland’s drains and sewer network has been reduced by almost 5000 in the past two years - by about 12% from 40,000 to just over 35,000 a year.

However, launching the latest phase of its Keep the cycle running campaign which started two years ago, the water company is warning that sewer blockages are still a massive problem which is also costing Scottish Water more than £6 m a year to tackle.

There are still almost 100 per day across Scotland and Scottish Water estimates that 80% are caused by people putting the wrong things down their sinks and toilets.

Scottish Water is now urging customers throughout Scotland to help prevent blocked drains and sewers with the launch of the latest phase of the biggest-ever awareness campaign, which will include a series of television and radio advertisements.

During Scottish Water’s six-week campaign, the advertisements will be broadcast on STV, Sky Adsmart, 20 radio stations and on digital and social media channels across Scotland.

Chris Wallace, Scottish Water’s Director of Communications, said:

“Our campaign is working and has contributed to a sizeable reduction in the number of blocked drains and sewers across Scotland. We thank customers who have responded to our campaign.

 “However, this means there are still 35,000 blockages every year, most of which could be avoided if we all followed the advice in Scottish Water’s campaign and knew our kitchen and bathroom checklists. We’ve made great progress, with the help of our customers, but there is still a lot more that can be done to tackle this problem.

“Scottish Water believes the best way to tackle blocked drains and sewer flooding is to work with our customers to prevent blockages that can clog up the cycle in the first place.”