A staggering 300 tonnes of wet wipes have clogged the drains at a favourite Benidorm holiday spot for Brits, resulting in a hefty repair bill OF £332,562.
Known for its sun and beaches, Benidorm hosts over 3,300 British expats and annually draws 832,000 UK tourists.
The wet wipe problem, which represented 90% of all solid waste in wastewater, also led to a critical failure at the Severo Ochoa pumping station.
Workers had to spend numerous days clearing pipes jammed with the non-degradable wipes.
Jose Ramon Gonzalez, councillor for water cycle, warned of the « significant problems and breakdowns » this has caused for the local community.
He said: « Throwing wet wipes down toilets causes significant problems and breakdowns in the sewerage network. This comes with a high environmental and economic cost. »
In response to this chronic problem, Benidorm City Council has teamed up with Hidraqua, the local water company, in a bid to persuade residents to stop flushing wet wipes through a campaign called Stop Wipes from Being News.
This important environmental message will be disseminated using display screens and billboards throughout the popular tourist destination.
Ciriaco Clemente, regional manager for Hidraqua, explained how the weather affects the treatment plants catching the wet wipes, cautioning that the local system « might not cope ».
He said: « Treatment plants do their job in catching hygienic wipes during dry weather, albeit at a high cost. Unfortunately, during heavy rain, our protection system might not cope, with the wipes ending up being pumped into the sea and onto the coast.
« The best way to solve the problem is citizen awareness and collaboration in something that affects us all, environmentally and economically. »
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