Fighting the fatbergs: how cities are waging war on clogged sewers

Fatbergs are the scourge of cities all over the world, and can grow to the length of a Boeing 747. Ian Wylie braves a London sewer to witness this filthy threat for himself – and uncovers some new ideas for defeating them

Arne Hendriks is so enthralled by fat that he is building his own “fatberg”– a huge congealed slab of fat, oil and grease. He currently has almost 50kg worth in a giant tank. Eventually he hopes to float it in the ocean.

At a science conference in a Newcastle University lecture theatre, the Dutch artist explains his fascination with fat. “It is the iconic substance of our age. Fat is life’s battery and allows us to move away from direct energy sources. It allows us to regard ourselves as embodied energy.”

Fat is life’s battery and allows us to move away from direct energy sources

'If fat is like the mortar, wet wipes are the bricks'

We have been roadkill in the government’s downsizing of its renewables programme