'PLEASE stop flushing wet wipes down our toilets'

That is the plea from volunteers at The Bay Centre in Burnham-on-Sea who said the charity had to fork out £180 to get their disabled toilet unblocked after ' a solid ball' of wet wipes caused a blockage.

Mike Lang, a volunteer at The Bay Centre, said he was called to the centre on Tuesday (October 1) by another volunteer and was forced to call for help after attempts to unblock the toilet were unsuccessful.

He said: "We have had experience of this before so on my way down I stopped in Proper Job and purchased a cheap set of drain rods.

"On arrival, I lifted manhole covers and suspicions of a blockage were confirmed.

"I attempted rodding but without success for the blockage was firm and immovable.

"It was a job for the professionals no less. An appointment was made for this morning, and the blockage proved to be a solid ball of wet wipes."

Mike said volunteers have put up signs around the centre to tell people not to flush wet wipes down the loo but the problem keeps on happening.

"We experienced similar trouble last year, and this was also caused by wet wipes," Mike said.

"There are notices placed on the toilet doors reminding users to not flush them, but not everybody takes the trouble to read them.

"The BAY Centre is a registered charity, and we do everything we can to keep rents manageable for our groups, but the £180 callout charge we have just paid knocks a sizeable hole in our finances.

"Please do on on any account flush wet wipes down the toilet, because they do not bio-degrade."