Anglian Water has said that a sewer leak which flooded a shop and caused traffic chaos in Cambridge was the result of fat entering the sewer system.

The water company responded to the leak on Regent Street and technicians were forced to close the road while they investigated a potential sewer collapse. Once teams were on site they discovered a large blockage of congealed fat in the sewer. The road  was finally reopened after this was cleared.

Anglian Water said the Regent Street sewer will now be fully jetted and CCTV surveyed as part of its routine maintenance to ensure it is clear of any further fat build up.

Nik Shelton, Anglian Water spokesperson, said:

“The sewer was backed up causing flooding in a shop basement. We responded as quickly as we could and closed the road as an emergency measure.”

“This was a particularly deep pipe so it as a difficult job. Once teams arrived on site they found clear signs of fat build up in the pipe.”

Anglian Water recently had to bring an ultra high powered jet mounted on a remote controlled robot from Holland where it is based to clear a pipe in Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire which had become full of hardened fat. The job, which took several days, was needed after the pipe became clogged with fat which stuck to the inside of the sewer. It is the first time the company has used the technology, which was supplied by Anglian Water’s partners Draincare and is part of an ongoing battle against blockages in the region’s pipes

The latest incident was just one of 30,000 blockages the water company gets  a year in its region – 80 per cent of which are completely avoidable and are caused by fats being poured down sinks and wipes being flushed down toilets.

There is an estimated 20,000 tonnes of fat in the region’s sewers, according to the utility.