The popularity of a piece of the infamous Whitechapel Fatburg, which is currently on display until the weekend, has helped to boost visitor numbers at the world-renowned Museum of London, according to a BBC article.

The fatburg has proved so popular that the museum is considering preserving it for future display, rather than destroying it as initially planned.

As highlighted in our case study, the 250 metre long Whitechapel fatburg, which was discovered in September 2017, consisted of oil, grease, fat, wet wipes and other un-flushable items.  It took 9 weeks for a dedicated team from Thames Water to break up and clear the fatburg from the sewers underneath Whitechapel.

If undetected, fatburgs have the potential to cause flooding as well as damage to sewer systems.  In this instance, if the fatburg had not been discovered when it was, there was a real risk of raw sewage flooding onto the streets.  

Thames Water spends around £1 million a month fighting a constant battle against fatburgs and their associated problems.

It is hoped that the popularity of the fatburg sample currently on display at the Museum of London will help to spread awareness of the problems caused by the improper disposal of a variety of household substances and products, and will also help to challenge behaviours in the ongoing fight to keep sewer systems flowing freely.