Northumbrian claims employee invention will spot wipe-flushing households

An employee of Northumbrian Water has invented a device that can capture wet wipes thrown into the sewage system and track down the households who put them there the company has claimed.

The crown-shaped, spiky device – dubbed the Barbarian – is placed in fast sewage flows to capture wipes and “help us pin-point anyone wrongfully flushing wipes,” according to its inventor, sewerage maintenance worker, Steve Green.