Dudley sewers!

[Kit]

A friend of mine has heard rumours that there are sewers under Dudley to rival those of Paris. I reckon he's talking a load of old tripe, but does anyone know better?

[answerbonk]

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council advise that questions relating to their sewers are addressed through the proper channels and not discussed in open forums. Attempts to make comparisons with sewers in mainland Europe should be avoided in the interest of national security. The following confidential contact information is published and members of the public can use the confidential hotlines anonymously.
Public Sewers: --Problems & Blockages -- Initially contact Public Sewer Records for Dudley MBC to determine if it is a Public Sewer:
Contact Mike Brookes -- Tel: [phone]
If it is a public sewer contact Severn Trent Water -- Tel [phone]
If it is a private sewer it is the owner's responsibility (so don't ring the MBC.

[answerbonk]

You may think of a sewer as nothing more than a conduit for waste, but in Paris, there's more to the sewers than meets the nose.The tunnels that make up the Paris sewer system are mostly very large'as in almost the size of a subway tunnel. In most cases a central channel, wide enough and deep enough for a boat, carries waste and runoff water; on both sides are broad, paved walkways with enough headroom for most people to walk comfortably. It's the length and complexity of the tunnels that make them so intriguing: they more or less exactly mirror the layout of the streets above'in fact, every corner has a street sign on it that mirrors the one on the surface. Where a wide boulevard runs on the surface, a wide sewer tunnel (or two) runs beneath; smaller streets have smaller sewers, and even side streets and alleys are duplicated underground. In all, there are about 1,300 miles (2,100km) of sewer tunnels underneath Paris.
Paris sewers have been a tourist attraction since 1867, when the first public tours were offered. From 1892 to 1920, visitors rode through the sewers in a locomotive-drawn wagon. In 1920 the wagon was replaced with a boat, which floated tourists along until 1975. Today's sewer tour consists of a very small portion of the sewers which has been turned into a museum. In order to read all the signs describing the timeline of sewer construction, visitors have to stand on a metal grating over an active sewer channel this arrangement serves to keep traffic moving at a lively pace. Restrooms are conveniently provided at the end so visitors can try out the system personally.
Does this sound like Dudley -- I think not.

[answerbok]

your specialist subject bonk? ;-)

[Kit]

Thanks, Answerbonk - several years ago I spent some considerable time looking for the Paris sewers, then found they weren't open on the day we went. Therefore, your description has been very useful - and in fact, uncannily like Dudley - only for "sewer" read "canal", going through the Black Country Museum. I doubt whether British Waterways would take kindly to testing sanitation arrangements in it though. So - my original opinion still stands, ie my mate is talking a load of tripe then?

(PS Thankyou for your timely eminder re national security. For safety, please eat this message once you have read it.)