Warning issued to any households cooking turkey for Christmas dinner
A WARNING has been issued to any households cooking turkey for Christmas.
The equivalent of several million blocks of butter could block up drains if Brits do not dispose of their Christmas cooking fat properly.
Basting your turkey is important for getting that all-important moist meat.
But the fats and oils from the bird could cause serious damage if you pour them down the sink.
One roast turkey produces around three-quarters of a pint in molten fat, which will cool and congeal once chucked down a drain.
Water companies spend millions each year clearing hundreds of thousands of Christmas blockages.
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South West Water boss Iain Vosper said: "Think about your sink this Christmas time.
"Don’t dispose cooking fats, oils and greases down the drain.
"These mix with wrongly flushed items such as wet wipes, hygiene wipes, cleaning wipes, cleansing pads and sanitary products.
"They cause blocked sewers which can lead to flooding in your homes and in the environment."
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The water company, which serves the south west of England including Devon and Cornwall, said that fat from turkeys poured down sinks in the region would fill nearly 3,000 bathtubs.
To safely dispose of the liquids after cooking you should wait for them to become solid again.
You can do this in the pan, or pouring it into another container, then scrape the fat into your food waste bin.
A blocked sink could lead to calling out a plumber or drainage specialist.
According to Myjobquote. the average cost of unblocking drains is £100.
But it could cost more if the issue is serious, or over the Christmas period when some charge more.
You could save some money doing it yourself, using a plunger or coathanger - check out our DIY guide.
Water firms estimate clogged sewers cost them an estimated £80million a year to clear.
The Consumer Council for Water has previously warned that water companies spend £100million of customer's cash every year unclogging sewers.