HOME cooks in Merseyside are being warned not to fall ‘fowl’ of the hidden dangers of the fats lurking in festive foods.
 
United Utilities is urging people across the North West to keep festive food waste well away from the plughole this Christmas to avoid creating a costly pain in the drain.
 
Christmas is a busy time for celebrating and cooking with many of the foods on the menu laden with extra fats, oils and grease which, if washed down the sink, can harden and build up to create fatbergs.
 
By working with food establishments to install fat traps, United Utilities prevented almost 1,500 tonnes of cooking fats, oils and grease (FOG) from entering drains across the region in the past year. More than 315 tonnes of this were in Merseyside - the same weight as around 1,750 Reindeer.
                       
Across the North West, they were called out to clear more than 2,000 avoidable blockages caused by FOG – 469 of these were in Merseyside. Many more blockages, and even sewage flooding inside properties will have been dealt with by homeowners or private plumbers.
 
Wastewater Network Protection Manager at United Utilities, Andy Peet explained:- “It can be really tempting to wash leftovers down the drain after a big festive meal, but those leftovers can cause a nasty blockage. When FOG congeals in the drain, it mixes with food scraps and other products, such as flushed wet wipes, and can cause a blockage. As this happens, the capacity of pipes is restricted, limiting the flow of wastewater. This can lead to sewer flooding in homes and businesses, leaving an unpleasant mess to sort out, or pollution in local rivers and streams. Blockages on private property may need the services of an emergency plumber which can be expensive and not what anyone needs, especially at Christmas. Our advice is to scrape leftovers and cooled cooking fats, oils into the bin to keep drains and pipes blockage-free.”
 
It's estimated that around £10m a year is spent by United Utilities on clearing blocked sewer pipes and drains, and 60% of blockages can be prevented by making small changes to what gets flushed or poured down drains at home.