LEGO designer’s appeal: Back me again on fatberg model

The designer at the centre of a campaign to persuade LEGO to make a new model featuring drainage engineers tackling a fatberg has told Lanes Group plc the Whitechapel fatberg was the main inspiration for his idea.

Wastewater operatives from Lanes, working for water company Thames Water, carried out most of the work to clear the giant fatberg in London’s East End in 2017.

The designer, who goes by the name of MOCingbird, revealed that after reading about the Whitechapel fatberg, which weighed over 130 tonnes, he set about creating a slightly smaller one – out of LEGO bricks.

MOCingbird acknowledges his inspiration for the proposed new LEGO model – and appeals for continued support for his idea – in a question and answer interview given to Lanes, the UK’s largest independent wastewater and drainage specialist.

He also reveals:

• Lanes was the first drainage company to write to LEGO supporting the model idea, helping trigger a similar response from other organisations in the UK and the USA.

• The UK drainage industry was instrumental in the fatberg model achieving the 10,000 votes needed for LEGO to consider manufacturing the fatberg model.

• The designer said he would be happy if Unblocktober – the campaign first launched by Lanes to protect sewers and seas from misuse and pollution was associated with a final model.

As the model – Sewer Heroes: Fighting the Fatberg – was not one of those selected for production by LEGO when considered by its panel of experts, MOCingbird is determined to put it forward again.

That will involve reaching the 10,000 vote target yet again, and he reveals he still needs thousands of votes.

Lanes Group Development Director, Richard Leigh, said, “We’re 100% behind this second push to have the model marketed by LEGO. It would be an excellent way to give consumers an insight into the challenges of keeping sewers flowing across the world, and how they can help drainage specialists like Lanes achieve that.

“MOCingbird’s creativity has already raised huge awareness about the topic, and the problems caused by sewer misuse. I have no doubt, given the public’s fascination with fatbergs, the model would be a best seller for LEGO if people could buy it. I would urge everyone to vote for Sewer Heroes: Fighting the Fatberg again.”

Follow this link to vote for Sewer Heroes: Fighting the Fatberg: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/ e6d994cf76c9-4275-86c0-19cbcb90db73

T 0800 526 488
www.lanesfordrains.co.uk