近日，英國政府辦公機構白廳受到了威脅！對象不是恐怖分子，而是地溝里的“肥球”(fatburgs)。

A fatberg is a congealed lump of fat, sanitary items, wet wipes, and similar items found in sewer systems, which do not break down like toilet paper.

肥球是在下水道系統中發現的凝結的脂肪塊，衛生用品，濕紙巾等類似物品。這些物品無法像廁紙那樣被分解。

A huge fatberg stretching about 20 meters has been discovered in a Whitehall sewer - as the cost of cleaning out sewers in and around London was revealed to have reached ￡1 million a month. The fatberg under the manhole in central London was reportedly one of the biggest ever Thames Water has ever had to clear up.

近日，在倫敦市中心白廳辦的下水道里，人們發現了一個約20米長的肥球“巨無霸”。據稱，這個橫在檢修孔的肥球是泰晤士水公司清理過的最大的一個。每個月，政府花在清理倫敦及其周邊下水道的費用都達100萬英鎊。

Fatbergs are a persistent problem beneath London. In August, a team removed a Boeing-747 sized fatberg in Shepherd's Bush Roads West London. The summer before that, a 15-tonne lump of congealed fat clogged sewers in Kingston.

肥球一直是倫敦地下系統的“老大難”問題。今年8月，一隊人馬在倫敦西區曾清除了一個波音747客機大小的肥球。此前夏天，一個重15公噸的凝固的脂肪塊堵塞了金斯頓的下水道。

（中國日報網英語點津 丁一）