A big pipe expert from Southport is starring in the second series of Sewermen, a fly-on-the-wall documentary celebrating the everyday heroes keeping our taps flowing and our toilets flushing.
Often funny, sometimes shocking, but always enlightening, the second series of Sewermen airs on Thursdays at 9pm on Paramount Network (Freeview Channel 31; Freesat 132 and Sky 150).
Filmed by production company, Label1 TV, the brains behind the BBC’s award-winning documentary series Hospital, Sewermen gets down and dirty with the hard-working folk from the North West’s regional water and wastewater firm, United Utilities.
For filth aficionados there’s lots of fun and games with the firms’ poo patrol poking around in our drains to clear blockages and stop sewer flooding.
Viewers also get a bird’s-eye view of a mammoth feat of engineering as the water company starts the multi-million pound revamp of the Haweswater Aqueduct which pipes570 million litres of water from the Lakes through Cumbria, Lancashire and into Greater Manchester every day.
Among the shows stars is engineering expert, John Dawson, who, in this Thursday’s [14 May] episode contends with driving rain and gale-force winds as he manages construction of key sections of the 109km Haweswater Aqueduct.
John, 46, from Southport, is construction manager for special projects at United Utilities. He says working on the programme was initially daunting but became enjoyable as filming progressed. “The crew were brilliant at putting me at ease and asking all the right questions to help me explain what was going on in a clear way.
“Towards the end we were having quite a laugh making it especially on one day when we’d rushed to finish our work so we could open the road then waited for over an hour for a car to come by!”
United Utilities’ Customer Services Director, Louise Beardmore, said: “This show is a window into our world and shines a light on the essential service we provide. It’s a great opportunity for people to see what we do every day.
“Water and wastewater company staff are among the army of key workers making sure the UK continues to have the vital services it needs during the current COVID-19 crisis. Thousands of our people continue to be out on the UK’s streets carrying out critical maintenance, laying new pipes, finding and fixing leaks and unblocking sewers.”
Label1 Series Editor, Helen White, said: “We were privileged to capture a second series of Sewermen following the everyday heroes at United Utilities. We’ve filmed more great stories this year from technicians battling blocked drains to engineers tackling burst pipes and huge engineering projects. We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to all staff and customers who took part in or helped with filming.
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