This year, Anglian Water has uncovered some truly "quackers" finds in its sewer network—and among the strangest? Rubber ducks! From basketballs to tennis balls, tools to toys, and now ducks, it seems some people are really winging it when it comes to what they flush.

While the flushing of wet wipes and sanitary products remains the leading cause of preventable blockages, Anglian Water’s sewer maintenance teams regularly encounter items that leave them bewildered.

Though these odd finds can be amusing, they serve as a stark reminder that drains aren’t for dumping. Preventable blockages can lead to flooded homes and pollutions, putting our beautiful environment and our homes at unnecessary risk.

Regan Harris from Anglian Water said: “Our teams work hard to find and fix blockages on our sewer network each and every day. We have enough sewer pipe in our region to go around the world twice, meaning our engineers remove an avoidable blockage nearly every five minutes in a bid to keep our sewers flowing, protecting the environment and our customers’ homes from flooding.”

In the Anglian Water region, 80% of sewer flooding issues are caused by blockages. Last year alone, the team tackled 37,000 blockages and removed tonnes of rubbish from the sewer network.

Regan added: “Although some of the things we find down the sewer can be comical, this is the reality of what our teams face every day, and it’s putting our beloved environment and homes at unnecessary risk.

“That’s why we urge everyone to not put anything down the toilet other than pee, poo and (toilet) paper. You wouldn’t use your bin as a toilet, so please don’t use your toilet as a bin.” 

Anglian Water is passionate about raising awareness of what should and shouldn’t go down the drain. From quirky discoveries like rubber ducks to the ongoing battle against wet wipes, it’s a team effort to keep sewers flowing and the environment protected.

While in the next five years Anglian Water is planning £86mn in proactive blockage clearance, the company is also asking its customers to do their bit and put their wipes in the bin, rather than down the toilet.

Last year, Anglian Water launched their latest campaign: Just Bin It to help customers identify what can or can't be put down their drains. More information can be found here.