Fat from turkeys and other festive roasts could be cooking up problems for householders and the environment, Thames Water has warned, write Andrew Ffrench.
Over the extended Christmas and Millennium holiday, the company is expecting a 25 per cent increase in fat poured down the drain in its supply area, risking flooding to property and environmental damage.
The region's sewers are deluged with more than 100 tonnes of fat annually.
Thames Water's advice is to pour the fat into a sturdy container, allow it to cool, wrap it securely in old paper then put it in the bin. Better still, it can be mixed with food scraps, seed and fruits and hung up to provide extra winter nourishment for the birds.
Tony Dearlsey, Thames Water's environment manager, said: "Hot fat pours down the sink easily, but it soon solidifies as hard as concrete and can block sewer pipes.
"The smaller pipes close to customers' properties are most likely to be affected, risking flooding - the last thing anyone wants at Christmas.
"If the fat reaches the main sewer network, it can also quickly lead to pollution of rivers and streams."
Story date: Wednesday 15 December
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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