With toilet roll supplies in supermarkets running low, people have been turning to kitchen roll and wipes as an alternative.

Severn Trent said that this is having detrimental impact on sewage systems and they are pleading to the public to be mindful of what they flush down the loo.

The regional sewage and waterworks firm have said that they have dealt with more than 3000 reports of sewer flooding and blockages in the last two weeks - with more and more of these blockages being full of kitchen roll.

Sewer blockages lead at Severn Trent, Grant Mitchell, said: "We know just how worrying it is for everyone at the moment and we want to reassure our customers that we're working really hard to keep our essential service running.

"In the last two weeks we've dealt with more than 3000 reports of sewer flooding or sewer blockages in our area which is much busier than normal. And we're seeing more and more blockages caused by kitchen roll and wipes.

"We know that some people are having to resort to using a whole manner of things to substitute for toilet roll at the moment, but a sewer blockage is the last thing that anyone needs right now.

"So, we wanted to let everyone know that kitchen roll and wipes are not designed to break down like loo roll is so please remember to bin them otherwise you could end up blocking your sewer pipes.

Grant added: "On top of doing one of the most mucky jobs out there, our teams are getting asked why they're out and about a lot at the moment, but we want to reassure everyone they are only doing work that is essential.

"If more and more sewers need unblocking, they need to be out more, so please be understanding, as no-one really wants to dig out poo, kitchen roll and wipes.

"But all of this can easily be avoided, so if you do need to use something other than toilet roll, just remember to pop it in the bin, and not the toilet."