A Gerbil in the Toilet!

If you were to dwell on the contents of a blocked loo, it is fairly certain that you would not think of a live gerbil. But that is just what one engineer from Lanes for Drains found when he was called out to unblock a toilet!

Unblocking drains and removing the detritus of modern living is possibly not the most glamorous occupation, but it is one which the engineers at Lanes pride themselves on doing professionally — and with a smile.

And keeping a record of the weird and wonderful items retrieved from loos, sinks and drains keeps the frontline troops at the UK’s largest independent drainage specialist amused.

Aside from the odd gerbil, and a whole host of everyday items including children’s toys, jewellery, coins, cutlery, watches, toothbrushes, there have been other, more dramatic discoveries, as marketing manager, Michelle Ringland, explains:

“A team cleaning out a drain recently came across a hand gun. That was quite an event because there was always a chance that it had been used in a crime and disposed of into the drain. Naturally that was handed straight to the Police.

“On a sadder note, a crew from the North East depot were cleaning out a couple of storm water tanks and found the carcasses of two deer which had obviously fallen in accidentally. Thankfully that sort of thing is rare, but it does show that there is never a dull moment for a Lanes engineer.”