Buckinghamshire Council is investigating an incident of dumping after someone poured cooking oil into a drain.

Residents raised the alarm after an oily manhole cover was spotted on Chesham High Street last week on June 29.

St Mary’s ward councillor Wilford Augustus said the most recent incident was not the first time it has happened.

He said Chesham Town Council was working on getting CCTV footage of the culprits. 

He told the Free Press: “Fat obviously has a huge environmental impact on the rivers and wildlife, but also the sewer system gets clogged up and when we have rain, we’ll have big problems.

“I went there and took a look into the manhole and you can see the fatberg is partially blocking the sewer pipes.

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“It has environmental impact. Commercial oil does not belong to the waterways. Full stop.

“It is something that needs to stop.”

Businesses using cooking oil are required to store it properly and must not pour it down drains or sewers, Food Standards Agency website says.

Doing so can result in potential prosecution, the FSA warned.

Councillor Augustus thanked residents for alerting the Town Council to what had happened through OurChesham Facebook group.

“I don’t know who it is and I’m not pointing fingers into the direction of anyone," he added. 

He said the Town Council alerted Buckinghamshire Council, who manage waterways and drains.

Buckinghamshire Council’s deputy cabinet member for regulatory services councillor Carl Jackson said: “I am pleased that this has been brought to the attention of Buckinghamshire Council.  The Environmental Health team is now investigating. 

“It is a legal requirement that waste cooking oil is collected by an authorised collector and must not be poured down the drains.”

The government’s Environment Agency confirmed they were not aware of the issue.

What businesses need to know about disposing of cooking oil

Waste cooking oil in the sewers or drains can cause blockages, bad smells, vermin problems and polluted watercourses leading to problems for wildlife, the Food Standards Agency said.

No oil is allowed to spill and it has to be collected by an authorised collector. 

Cooking oil cannot be thrown out with other catering or kitchen waste, because it can cause spillages.

Household recycling centre engine oil banks cannot accept waste cooking oil as they are not made for commercial waste. Placing cooking oil into their oil bank will render the entire contents of the skips unsuitable for recycling, the FSA warned.