Don’t read this while eating your breakfast.

Cork City Council spent eight hours on Saturday unclogging a 375mm sewer which was blocked by a 1.5m-long “sausage” of congealed website. Sorry if we’ve just ruined sausages for you.

Simon Lyons, an engineer for Cork City Council, shared a more-than-slightly stomach-turning series of photos, highlighting the problems caused by flushing wipes.

“ Took @corkcitycouncil crews 8 hrs to unblock this on Sat! 8 tanker loads (!!!) of high pressure jetting to dislodge the main plug of rags.” Lyons noted that the cost of the operation was €2,600, and has called on the public to be more diligent in binning wipes, even those that claim to be flushable. 

⚠️ 375mm sewer blocked with wipes!

Took @corkcitycouncil crews 8 hrs to unblock this on Sat!
8 tanker loads (!!!) of high pressure jetting to dislodge the main plug of rags.

Approx cost to taxpayer: €2,600!

Enough with the wipes! 😤#BinTheWipesLads@IrishWater@Ballynamona pic.twitter.com/tY2D8a1w5x

— Simon Lyons (@ThePoliteEng) September 6, 2021

The story has provoked national attention, with Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell weighing in to say “Think before you buy wipes and if you must have them, please don’t flush them.”