Dungannon and Strabane areas worst affected by blocked sewers

MORE than 1,100 sewer blockages were recorded across Tyrone in 2024, according to statistics released by NI Water.

The worst-affected areas were Dungannon with 227 blockages, Strabane with 214 and Omagh with 194.

NI Water confirmed Tyrone ranked fifth out of the six counties, contributing to a total of 11,019 blockages reported across Northern Ireland this year.

Nearly half of all blockages occurred in the top three postcodes of each county.

The main causes of blocked pipes remain wipes, sanitary products, and fats, oils and grease being flushed or poured down household drains.

“We’ve all seen the consequences of blocked pipes – overflowing manholes or worse, flooding in homes,” said Angela Halpenny, Head of Environmental Regulation at NI Water.

“Many of these blockages are entirely preventable if people adopt better disposal habits.”

NI Water continues to urge the public to ‘bag it and bin it’ rather than treating the sewer system like a bin, warning that misuse can damage the environment and lead to costly and unpleasant clean-ups.

More information on how to prevent blockages is available at niwater.com/bag-it-and-bin-it.