A 64-metre-long fatberg that formed in the sewers of an English seaside town is just the latest in what appears to be a growing trend sliding through our sewers.

Fatberg facts: 1 in 4 people pour cooking oils down the sink

1 in 4 people pour cooking oils down the sink 50pc of people wash leftover sauces and/or dips down the sink

50pc of people wash leftover sauces and/or dips down the sink 14pc of people scrape food scraps into the sink Source: Queensland Urban Utilities

While most media reports have focussed on the congealed monsters of England, fatbergs are also causing problems closer to home (and have been for some time).

So we asked Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU) what can be done about them and if they actually have their uses.

How common are fatbergs?

Fatbergs are caused when oils and fats are tipped down the drain and congeal with other products, including so-called flushable wet wipes.

While each state has their own utility providers, there were at least 360 blockages caused by fatbergs in sewers serviced by QUU — which take in the Brisbane area and four other local councils.

That's out of a total of 3,500 blockages in QUU sewer pipes that together cost $1.2 million to clear.

Fatbergs also caused almost 250 sewage overflows.

While not London-sized, the biggest fatberg found by QUU was about 7 metres long and 60 centimetres wide, QUU spokeswoman Sarah Owens said.

That whopper was found under Campbell Street in Brisbane's Bowen Hills and had to be removed using a crane.

"We've also seen a fatberg stretch along the length of about 80m of pipe," Ms Owens said.

How can fatbergs be removed?

Workers from Thames Water had to use high-powered jet hoses, shovels and smaller hand tools to break up a 130-tonne, 250-metre-long fatberg found in Whitechapel in London in 2017.

The same work is expected to be done on the fatberg found in Sidmouth, with crew to spend an estimated eight weeks removing the blockage.

Ms Owens said in Queensland they also used jetrodders — high-pressured hoses.

As you would expect, Fatbergs smell pretty disgusting, which is why workers need to wear protective masks while breaking them up.

Although, when the man who found the Sidmouth fatberg was asked by the BBC if it smelled, he said he couldn't tell.

"It probably does smell, but obviously me being in the industry a few years, I'm immune to that kind of smell," he said.

"But as we break the fatberg up, we will probably smell it because it will give off that vapour and that gas."



Remember the 'three Ps' for toilets

This is a fatberg that was found in Brisbane's sewers last year. ( News Video )

UK-based water authority South West Water's treatment manager, Andrew Rowntree, urged people to remember the three Ps when it comes to flushing.

"Only flush the three Ps: that is pee, paper and poo. And nothing else," he said.



But Ms Owens said it could really be the three Ps and one V, since you can also flush vomit. But that's less catchy.

You can prevent fatbergs at the kitchen sink

QUU urged people to "think at the sink" and use their bins rather than scraping oils, fats and food scraps down the sink.

Here are some simple tips to remember that can save the sewer system (and your wallet from costly household plumbing bills):

Wait for fat to cool and scrape it into a bin

Wait for fat to cool and scrape it into a bin Wipe grease from pans with paper towel and pour used cooking oil into a container and bin it

Wipe grease from pans with paper towel and pour used cooking oil into a container and bin it Small amounts of household cleaners and detergents are fine in the sewer — but don't flush or wash harsher chemicals such as paint down the drain

Small amounts of household cleaners and detergents are fine in the sewer — but don't flush or wash harsher chemicals such as paint down the drain Don't put tea leaves, coffee grinds or food scraps down the sink.

Aren't some wipes 'flushable'?

They may be labelled as such, but that can be misleading.

Ms Owens said these so-called flushable wipes, along with the regular sort, were a big problem in Australian sewer networks.

That's because they don't disintegrate quickly like toilet paper, she said.

"They cause blockages in our sewer pipes and wreak havoc at our pump stations and treatment plants," she said.

"They can also cause blockages in household plumbing and land homeowners with a hefty plumbing bill."

Australian company Pental was ordered by the Federal Court in 2018 to pay $700,000 for misleading its customers into thinking that its toilet and bathroom cleaning wipes were flushable.

So why are some labelled as "flushable"? That's because there's no standard to enforce — but that may be changing in the future.

Ms Owens said the Water Services Association of Australia was currently working with Standards Australia to develop an Australian Flushability Standard.

"This will see the development of a national standard that defines the criteria for material suitable for toilet flushing, along with appropriate labelling requirements," she said.

Is there a bad time for fatbergs?

A fatberg found inside a sewer in Whitechapel, London. ( AP: Thames Water )

The QUU said there were two times of the year that were particularly bad — the Christmas festive season and winter.

"The festive season can be more like the fatberg season, with many people washing the fat from baked ham and roast meats straight down the sink," Ms Owens said.

The QUU has also previously warned that cooler conditions in winter meant there were far more blockages because "our pipes are colder and so fat solidifies a lot faster".



Can fatbergs be burnt to create energy?

Thames Water education manager Liz Banks has previously said most of the monster fatberg from Whitechapel was melted and converted to biofuel that could be used to power vehicles such as London's buses.

While it was a possibility to do something similar in Australia, QUU said it was not something it currently did.

Will there be an Australian fatberg museum display?

The fatberg remnants were air-dried, then locked inside specially sealed units for the temporary exhibition. ( AP: Matt Dunham )

Remnants of fatberg discovered in a London sewer in September 2017 are on display at the Museum of London.

It was hoped the publicity from the museum placement would encourage people to consider what they poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet.

But it doesn't look like there are any plans yet to put a similar piece on display in Australia.

QUU said its pipes and population were smaller than in London so it has never seen a fatberg of that scale before.

"However, we do see smaller fatbergs all the time," Ms Owens said.