'Fatberg' Hunting Hound Swaps Crime For Grime

A nine-stone former police dog will be used to sniff out sewer-blocking 'fatbergs' consisting of oil, fat and grease.

Hector the bloodhound has been trained to detect blockages on Southern Water's 25,000-mile sewer network by sniffing air gaps at ground level.

The dog's nose has 1,000 times more scent receptors than a human nose - and he has previously been used to search for missing children and on-the-run criminals.

Southern Water - which serves Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - says around 17,000 blockages are caused every year by build-ups of fat.

Hector's owner, former police dog handler Steve Williams, is one of three former police officers employed by Southern Water as so-called "fat detectives".

Mr Williams makes sure restaurants and takeaways understand the problems that discarded fat can cause, and helps to work out the causes of blockages on the network.

He said: "We use CCTV, sonar surveys and all manner of hi-tech kit to search for blockages but as far as I know we've never used a bloodhound, so I thought I'd give it a go.

"I've had Hector since he was eight weeks old and we worked together for Sussex Police for five years before he retired.

"Together we've searched for missing children and OAPs and numerous criminals on the run, but now we're fighting grime instead of crime and on the hunt for fat, oil and grease."

Pipe blockages can lead to wastewater flooding into streets, gardens and homes.