Toilet paper panic could put strain on sewer system by causing blockages

British consumers have been warned against the danger of overloading the country's sewage network with items other than toilet paper, after the household essential became one of the key elements of panic buying by shoppers during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Rows of empty shop shelves have become a common sight, with stocks being depleted as soon as they are replenished, and there are fears that people using alternatives to toilet tissue, such as kitchen paper towels or wet wipes, could cause major blockages with potentially damaging effects.

"We are seeing shortages of toilet paper but worryingly also shortages of paper kitchen towels and industrial paper towel used, for example, in garages and workshops and other wipe products," Richard Wilding, a professor of supply chain strategy at Cranfield School of Management told the Guardian newspaper.

"If kitchen towels, baby wipes or industrial papers are used as a replacement for toilet paper, our sewage systems could readily become blocked with the resulting chaos and increased health risks associated with this. Ultimately, water companies may not have the infrastructure and equipment to unblock the sewer system."

The harder-to-flush items could also exacerbate the problems caused by so-called "'fatbergs"', huge blockages caused by people disposing of kitchen fat through the drainage system, which are already a regular challenge for water supply and maintenance companies.

On average, each year Thames Water spends 18 million pounds ($21.7 million) on clearing 75,000 blockages from its sewers, removing 30 metric tons of material from just one of its sewage treatment works every day.

More of the wrong kind of items being put into the sewerage system not only increases strain on the network but also increases the likelihood of blockages and flooding at time when, like every other business, the novel coronavirus outbreak means there is an increased likelihood of staff absence.

"We're carefully planning how we can continue to provide an essential public service and while we encourage everyone to practice good hygiene to protect against COVID-19," said the company's head of waste networks, Matt Rimmer.

"Wet wipes and kitchen roll can be hugely damaging to our sewers and our customers can really help us by not flushing them down the toilet.

"This will reduce the number of blockages and the risk of flooding to homes, businesses and the environment during what is likely to be a difficult time for many people.

"As always, we'd urge everyone to only flush the 3Ps-pee, poo and paper-to help avoid problems in the future."

Self-perpetuating fears of a shortage of cleaning products caused by scenes of empty shelves in many of the country's biggest retailers have also created a large market for the products on online auction sites, with sellers charging significantly above the original retail price, and plenty of bidders seemingly willing to pay over the odds.