The UK’s Most Clogged Up City

Britain’s blocked loos are costing millions. New data reveals the most clogged up cities and the hefty price households are paying.

Clogged bogs are draining the UK’s cash 

Toilets: that magical hole you fill, flush, and watch your waste wash away. Well…not quite. It turns out it’s a lot more complicated than that. And with Brits flushing everything from dead fish to nappies, perhaps it’s time we all got a little refresher.

Blocked loos and bunged-up sewers are a major headache for the UK, costing water companies around £100 million each year. In fact, it’s estimated that a whopping 300,000 sewer blockages happen every year across the country.

But just how much are these blocked toilets costing UK households every year? And who is spending the most to deal with backed-up drains?

How much of an issue are clogged toilets in the UK? 

We’ve conducted a deep dive into Google search data to reveal just how often Brits are dealing with blocked toilets. Across the UK, there are over 259,940 searches for clogged loos every year, and over 35,000 of those desperate pleas for help come straight from the capital.

To find out which UK city is the most ‘clogged up’, we analysed regional search data in comparison with population size to see who has the highest rates of blocked bogs.  

We can reveal that the most clogged up cities in the UK, in order, are:

1. Bristol

2. Manchester

3. Bournemouth 

4. Glasgow

5. Edinburgh

6. Liverpool

7. Birmingham 

8. Leicester

9. Leeds

10. Sheffield

What are the main causes of blocked loos? 

We collaborated with plumber and heating engineer, Will Bradbury, to get the inside scoop on why Britain’s toilets are blocking up. 

Will has years of experience dealing with blocked drains in everything from hotels and Airbnbs to private homes. According to him, 1 in 10 plumbing jobs are related to clogged toilets, and more often than not, it’s got nothing to do with dodgy pipes - it’s down to what we’re flushing.

Will said: “In my experience, issues have never stemmed from infrastructure; the primary cause has consistently been consumer behaviour. Toilet blockages are more frequently found in hotels, hostels or guest houses, where the plumbing draining system is repeatedly used and not respected by the guests.”

Bradbury broke down the most common reasons for blocked toilets in the UK: 

• Non-flushable materials: 70%
• Toilet paper overuse: 20%
• Excessive amount of waste: 10%

How much are clogged loos costing the UK?

When a simple plunge won’t cut it, it’s time to call in the professionals. However, we uncovered that the average UK plumber charges £41 per hour, meaning the (often preventable) costs add up fast.

In fact, we conducted our own research to uncover the average estimated cost of a plumber per each major UK city. London tops the charts as is to be expected, with Bradford plumbers costing almost half for an hourly rate.

Using Will’s 10% estimate, alongside search data, we crunched the numbers to reveal the UK is spending £24,851,084 every year on plumbers tackling blocked toilets. When we take things regional, London topped the list for costs, weighing in at over £5.5 million in a year.

Will explained, “Urban centres like Birmingham and London would experience more clogs simply due to higher usage and greater volumes of waste in confined systems. London and the South East are also notorious for "fatbergs", with huge clogs pulled from sewers annually.”

How to prevent blocked toilets

After a professional plumber told us that 100% of blockages in his experience have been caused by consumer habits, we decided to come up with some quick easy fixes. So, if you want to save money (and maybe your ego), follow these golden rules: 

1. Forget “flushable” wipes 

Searches for "flushable wipes" are booming, up 5,445% on Amazon in the past year. However, whilst they may say flushable on the packet, Will explained that these wipes don't always break down like toilet paper. Instead, they clump together with fats and debris, becoming a plumber’s worst nightmare.

2. Bin everything except your business

Only toilet paper and what naturally belongs in the loo should be flushed. Everything else, be it period products, nappies, cigarette butts, cat litter, belongs in the bin. Your toilet is not a rubbish bin and flushing litter doesn’t only cause blockages, but also substantial amounts of waste flooding our oceans. 

3. Keep your toilet clean 

Limescale buildup doesn’t just look grim, it can actually narrow your pipes and restrict waste flow. Stay on top of a weekly cleaning routine to keep things running smoothly.

4. Have a plunger to hand

Don’t keep flushing a blocked toilet hoping for a miracle; you’ll just make it worse. Grab a plunger instead to stop water and waste rising higher and higher. 

5. Call a plumber 

If it keeps happening or the blockage is really stubborn, call a plumber. Don’t be embarrassed; it’s better than flooding your bathroom (or worse, your neighbour’s).

Methodology 

The number of clogged toilets was calculated using search volume data. Search terms related to "clogged toilets" and "blocked toilets” that received over 100 searches per month and were directly relevant to plumbing and toilet blockages were identified using Ahrefs. These were then further analysed via Google Keyword Planner to calculate both national and regional search volumes. Analysis was conducted across some of the UK’s largest cities, including Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bradford, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Huddersfield, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Northampton, and Sheffield.

The demand for plumbers was similarly estimated using search volume data. All search terms relating to “plumber” were reviewed, with those receiving more than 100 searches per month and specifically relevant to plumbing (excluding job availability searches and generic local queries such as “plumber London”) were selected from Ahrefs. These figures were then processed using Google Analytics to calculate total national and regional search volumes. Based on Will’s estimation that approximately 10% of plumber call-outs are due to blockages, 10% of the total search volume was taken as a proxy for blockage-related call-outs. This estimated number of call-outs was then multiplied by the average cost per region.

Data on the hourly cost of a plumber was sourced from Ha Much, analysed, and subsequently ranked according to the average cost in each city.