Prison sewage system blocked with shirts and shoes

A prison sewage pumping station has broken after inmates flushed "everything but paper, pee and poo" down the toilets, Yorkshire Water has said.

The water company said prisoners at HMP Millsike, in East Yorkshire, had been flushing T-shirts and trainers down the toilets, which caused the new pumping station to fail.

Mitie, operators of the prison, said the water company had been undertaking repair work since November and had been using sewage tankers to transport waste off site.

According to Yorkshire Water, one pump has been repaired, but a second is expected to be out of action for up to 10 weeks until a replacement part arrives.

Mitie said the works had not impacted the day-to-day operation of the prison.

Ward councillor and deputy police and crime commissioner Leo Hammond said the tankers had been causing a "nuisance" to local residents and had been "quite disruptive".

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: "We understand that this has been inconvenient, however the tankering is essential to protect HMP Millsike's wastewater services and the local environment.

"We apologise for the inconvenience and thank the local community and businesses for their patience."

The company said it would be contacting residents to keep them up to date.

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