Ex-soldier battling against sewer-blocking wet wipes with partner in grime

A former soldier from the East Midlands has swapped battlefields for bogs, as she leads a brigade against sewer-blocking wet wipes.

Kirsty McIntyre, who served in the Royal Logistics core, and colleague Fran Kai are on the frontline of tackling the gross problems on Severn Trent’s waste network.

The partners in grime only teamed up in January but have already become customer favourites and fast friends – bonding over their love of pets and a shared sense of humour.

But what is no laughing matter is the amount of drain and sewer blockages they are having to deal with in the areas they cover, including Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield and Walsall.

Labrador owner Kirsty, 32, said: “One of my first jobs was at a property where a garden had flooded and the smell was terrible. We lifted the manhole cover and the cause was wet wipes.

“The family who lived there had children and dogs but they could not use the garden until we managed to unblock it.”

Passionate fisherman Fran, 34, added: “I remember being called to one property and pulled out five or six bags of wet wipes from their drains.

“They are definitely the biggest issue we face in terms of blockages, along with fats, oil and greases which can cause fatbergs.

“The best part of the job is helping customers who are really grateful when we turn up and work to unblock their drains.

“Quite often it may be that the person who has called us out is not responsible, it could be a neighbour or someone five doors down.

“But if it is clear they are responsible we give them polite and friendly advice that they should only flush the three P’s down the toilet – poo, pee and paper.”

A day in the life

We joined Kirsty and Fran on a typical work day as part of our Severn Trent Sewer Stories, a new campaign to showcase what our waste teams do and to highlight what should NOT be flushed.

Chatting to the workmates, it is clear they have a lot in common and a great relationship.

Fran said of Kirsty: “I love her sense of humour – she’s just great to work with.

“Before Severn Trent, I’d worked with people I had nothing in common with, so when you are doing an 11 hour shift it can become as hard as the job.

“But working with Kirsty is great fun and we have lots in common including pets, as I’ve had dogs and cats.

“We make a great team who put the customer first with everything we do.”

Kirsty, who served in the army for four years before joining Severn Trent, said: “I love my job because we are helping customers every day, which gives you a great deal of satisfaction.

“They are always so grateful for the work we do and offer us lots of cups of tea while we are working, which is lovely.

“And don’t tell Fran, but working with him is also one of the best things about the job as he always makes me laugh, even on a bad day.”

Potential ban

Wet wipes containing plastic are facing a potential ban under new Government legislation. Even some that say ‘flushable’ or claim to be biodegradable don’t break down like toilet paper. Other culprits are kitchen roll, cotton buds, nappies and sanitary products.

Around two and a half tones of wipes and other items which shouldn’t be put down the toilet are pulled out of our sewers every week, around the same weight as an African Elephant.

Severn Trent is now asking everyone to ‘Be a Binner, Not a Blocker’ by sonly flushing those three P’s down the toilet.