Trillions of bugs that feast on fat, oils and grease will be helping unblock sewers in the Bradford district this Christmas.

Yorkshire Water is using bacillus bacteria, commonly found in the human gut, to treat 180 hot-spots around the region where build-ups of fat and oil have caused repeated problems.

So far this year the Bradford-based company has spent more than £2 million removing more than 18,000 blockages from its 54,000km sewer network.

More than a third were caused by people pouring fat, oil or grease down the sink or flushing baby wipes, sanitary items or nappies down the toilet.

The company typically sees a 25 per cent rise in the number of blockages over Christmas and so has chosen to unleash the bugs during the festive season as part of an ongoing campaign to reduce the amount of fat in its sewers.

  • Read more on this story in today's T&A