AI Detects Unusual Sewer Blockage: Dumbbell and Fatberg in Kent

Engineers at Southern Water have successfully used artificial intelligence to identify an unusual blockage in Kent sewers, discovering a gym weight entangled with a fatberg in Folkestone. The AI-powered radar sensors detected abnormal wastewater levels in Chalcroft Road, enabling teams to intervene before flooding could occur.

Context and Background

Southern Water’s proactive monitoring system utilises over 34,000 radar sensors across its network, each equipped with machine learning capabilities trained to recognise normal sewer behaviours. The AI technology can distinguish between regular flow patterns—including morning and evening usage peaks and rainfall impacts—and genuine blockages requiring immediate intervention.

Daniel McElhinney, proactive operations control manager at Southern Water, explained the system’s effectiveness: “The AI machines learn normal sewer behaviours, then can tell the difference between morning and evening rushes, rain in the system and a blockage forming. We’re spotting hundreds of potential blockages before it’s too late.”

The Folkestone incident highlights a significant infrastructure challenge, with blocked sewers representing the leading cause of pollution incidents across the UK. These blockages can result in manholes overflowing into waterways, sewage backing up into residential gardens, and in severe cases, wastewater returning through household plumbing systems.

Looking Forward

This successful detection demonstrates how AI monitoring can transform traditional reactive maintenance approaches into predictive infrastructure management. Southern Water battles thousands of blockages annually, costing millions of pounds to clear whilst creating unnecessary environmental risks.

The company emphasises that suburban sewers typically measure only the width of an orange or tennis ball, making even small inappropriate disposals potentially catastrophic. The AI system’s ability to provide pinpoint accuracy enables targeted high-pressure jet cleaning, reducing both response times and operational costs whilst protecting communities from sewage-related incidents.

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