STAY at home residents have been told to be mindful of what they are flushing down the toilet to keep sewers free from blockages.

As the country entered lockdown, Scottish Water reminded residents to be aware of what goes down the pan in a bid to stop sewer chokes that can result in flooding.

They have re-ignited their campaign of 3Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper – as the only flushable items.

Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Alternative un-flushable items such as wet wipes, kitchen roll, cotton wool, tissues or other forms of paper can cause blockages in the pipes.

“Additional sewer chokes at this time of heightened concern around health could pose additional risk through internal flooding, as well as causing an obviously unpleasant disruption in the home.

“We would urge people to flush only pee, poo and toilet paper in order to reduce the risk of internal sewer flooding. Such blockages are preventable and by following the simple 3Ps guidance together we can ensure the network is fully effective.”

Last year, we told how beach cleaners in Troon found scores of sanitary products including tampons and baby non-biodegradable baby wipes, which had begun to block pipes leading to the sea.

This prompted a response to locally check which lines were blocked, and a campaign between Friends of Troon Beach and Scottish Water to keep shores clean.

Increases in the number of sewer chokes reported could place extra demand on response teams who are despatched to unblock drains.

Currently Scottish Water responds to around 3000 sewer chokes every month. Around one billion litres of waste water are treated every day in Scotland.