Monster blob menaces London's East End sewers

New York

THERE is a monster beneath the streets of London, menacing the East End underworld.

What has been named the Whitechapel fatberg is a rock-solid agglomeration of fat, disposable wipes, diapers, condoms and tampons. It was discovered to the east of the city's financial district, occupying 250 m of sewer under Whitechapel Road, between one of London's largest mosques and a pub called the Blind Beggar, where walking tours are taken to reminisce about a notorious gangland murder.