A severed finger, a dead snake and a giant cuddly toy were discovered in sewers.

The peculiar items were all found in the Brighton and Hove area by teams sent by Southern Water to unblock drains.

The water company has enlisted the help of a nine-stone ex-police dog to help sniff out the sewer blockages.

Company spokesman Joel Hufford said the finger, snake and toy were among their most unusual finds.

He said: “We named the toy Bruce when he was found at Peacehaven Wastewater Treatment Works this year.

“We have adopted him as our sewer mascot with his own Twitter feed to promote our campaign to keep the sewers blockage free.”

The snake was found in the main sewers next to the Palace Pier in Brighton this year. The finger was discovered in a section of sewer under the A259 near Ovingdean.

Mr Hufford said he does not believe a police investigation was launched into the missing finger. The findings were published in a report by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater), detailing the most bizarre finds by companies across the country.

They were revealed in a bid to ward off users from blocking up drains with foreign objects and FOG – fat, oil and grease – during the festive season.

Other weird wonders across the country included a prosthetic leg, a Honda motorbike and half a Mini car, a dead cow, false teeth, piranha fish, slippers, tennis balls, cutlery, a sofa and a football goal net.

The council said blockages cause giant ‘fatbergs’ to grow which could cause homes to flood and prove costly for customers through their bills. Wet wipes and nappies are problematic, the council said.

Southern Water said there have been 2,500 blockages in Sussex since January.

A total of 350 blockages were found in Brighton and Hove, 220 in Bognor, 200 in Worthing, 194 in Eastbourne and 175 in Chichester. The blockages cost up to £5 million to clear every year. The company’s Pain In The Drain campaign warns that customers who misuse sewers could be prosecuted. Visit ccwater.org.uk or follow Bruce @MrBruceMonster

Meet Hector the bloodhound, the super sewer sniffer

A nine-stone former police dog is to be the latest weapon to sniff out sewer-blocking fat, oil and grease.

Hector the bloodhound has swapped a life of crime for one of grime by being trained to detect blockages on Southern Water’s sewer network.

The company hopes to deploy Hector to sniff out problem areas through air gaps at ground level as his nose has 1,000 times more scent receptors than a human’s.

Hector’s owner, ex-police dog handler Steve Williams, is one of Southern Water’s so-called ‘fat detectives’ – three former policemen now employed as network protection and enforcement officers.

The 50-year-old, from Hailsham, said: “We use CCTV, sonar surveys and hi-tech kit to search for blockages but 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.

“We’ve searched for missing children and old age pensioners and criminals on the run, but now we’re fighting grime instead of crime and we’re on the hunt for fat, oil and grease.”