Cardiff Bay Sewer Blocked by Fatberg

Repairs to a sewer damaged by a fatberg in Cardiff Bay are set to begin.

Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) said the £2m work was needed after the sewer was blocked by a build-up of fat, grease and oils. It said disruption would be “kept to a minimum” during the five-month repairs.

Bosses said they will liaise with businesses to ensure they have the right equipment to dispose of waste correctly to avoid similar problems in the future.

Footage of the fatberg, filmed in June, shows how substances poured down drains have hardened to line the sides of the sewer. It will be removed as part of a “deep excavation” at Mermaid Quay, between Salt Bar and The Dock pub, ahead of repairs on the Victorian sewer.

Welsh Water warned there could be issues with “odour” during removal of the blockages. The sewer, which runs under Bute Street and Stuart Street in Mermaid Quay, was previously a large-capacity tidal sewer intercepted by the Bute Town Road Tunnels in the 1990s.

  • The repair work comes after the Eli Jenkins pub was flooded in 2014 and an investigation found the sewer was in a poor condition.

  • A bridge was put up over the walkway last year, after part of the brickwork in the sewer was found to have fallen away.

Steve Wilson, Welsh Water’s director of wastewater services, said:

“We always ask our customers to be careful about what they dispose of down the drains so that our sewers continue to operate effectively.”

He said work would be carried out in phases and put on hold during busy periods such as the autumn school holidays and run-up to Christmas.

Are you compliant? If you’re discharging FOGs to the sewer you are liable to fines and prosecution. Contact us for a free, no obligation survey to see where you stand. You can read more about FOG management here or search our FAQs.

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