People urged not to pour cooking fats down sink

Yorkshire Water has urged people not to pour cooking fats from Christmas dinners down the sink to avoid blockages.

The company said washing fat, oil and grease down the sink is the cause of most blockages across the region, especially during the festive period.

When hot fat or cooking oil is tipped down the sink it prevents flows of sewage and can lead to fatbergs forming.

These blockages can result in people being unable to flush their toilets and, in extreme cases, can cause sewage escapes that spill into houses and gardens.

Yorkshire Water said it spends more than £750,000 every year responding to blockages caused in this way.

In 2023, its jetting teams cleared 31,485 blockages across Yorkshire, with 40% being caused by the wrong items being washed away in the sink.

The water company has issued the following guidance on how to avoid blockages this Christmas:

• Allow cooking oil to cool and solidify, then scoop it up and throw it in the bin

• Pour used cooking oil and fat into a container ready to use again

• Freeze any leftover gravy in a container

• If there's only a small amount of gravy left, soak it up in kitchen roll and throw it in the bin

• Use a sink strainer to catch any bits of food waste and solids before they get into the pipes

James Harrison, head of customer field services at Yorkshire Water, said: "We understand that it is easy to pour cooking fats down the sink without thinking, but they can have a significant impact for homeowners and on the wider sewer network over time.

"It's important people bin cooking fats, oils and greases over the Christmas period to reduce the likelihood of blockages in their area."

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