Small in size, big in impact: Meet the baby ‘hedgehogs’ taking on sewer blockages
Wipes extracted by a hedgehog tool
- Thames Water introduces ‘baby hedgehog’ tool to clear blockages caused by wipes in narrow sewer pipes.
- This year the company has already cleared over 18,000 blockages. That’s over 200 every single day.
- Wet wipes remain a major cause of sewer blockages, contributing to property damage, road flooding and costing an estimated £40 million a year.
Thames Water’s newest miniature sewer investigative tools may be tiny, but they’re already making a big impact in the fight against wipes blocking narrow pipes.
The company first introduced its innovative ‘hedgehog‑style’ tool in 2025. Building on its success, a smaller version has now been adopted specifically to navigate tighter sections of pipework and help prevent sewer flooding in customers’ homes.
The baby hedgehog measures just 10cm in length, compared with its parent tool at 15cm. Its compact design allows it to travel through smaller pipes, clearing wipes and debris before they build up into more serious blockages. By removing these early‑stage obstructions, the hoglet helps prevent sewage backing up into homes, reduces pressure on the wider network and protects vital infrastructure from avoidable damage.
With over 20,000 sewer monitors now installed across London and the Thames Valley, the company can pinpoint hotspots and target problem areas more effectively.
Alex Dudfield, Pollution Improvement Manager at Thames Water, said:
“Even the smallest tools can make a huge difference to our network. Our new baby hedgehogs allow us to reach parts of the sewer system that were previously difficult to clear. They help us work out where the wipes are coming from which means we can talk to the right people and stop blockages before they cause real problems. By tackling wipes at the source, we’re protecting homes, the environment and the wider network.”
Wet wipes remain a major cause of sewer blockages, contributing to property damage, road flooding and costing an estimated £40 million a year.
This year Thames Water has already cleared over 18,000 blockages. That’s over 200 every single day.
Thames Water’s “Bin It, Don’t Block It” campaign continues to remind customers to flush only the three Ps: pee, poo and (toilet) paper.
Unlike toilet paper, wet wipes do not break down in the sewer system. Instead, they can become trapped and form the backbone of “fatbergs” - the congealed masses that block pipes, cause pollution, and increase the need for storm overflows, which can lead to further environmental harm.