Festive fayre, in particular the Christmas turkey, is very much on the minds of most people this Christmas. However, whether you are cooking at home or eating out this holiday period, Northern Ireland Water (NIW) is urging the public to be careful when it comes to disposing of fats and oils.

Little thought goes into throwing fat and oil down the sink or drain – it is an easy way of getting rid of it. However, the consequences when a drain becomes blocked and overflows can be devastating.

Homes and gardens that have been decorated for Christmas can be ruined by the mess that an overflowing sewer can create. Yet this is a problem that is easily prevented by simply binning food waste and fats instead of pouring it into drains.

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Everyone has a part to play, restaurants, pubs and canteens, as well as homes and industrial outlets.

NIW spends approximately £1 million on clearing drain blockages in Northern Ireland every year. This doesn't include the additional costs for cleaning up the damage that can be caused.

Celine Rodgers, Head of External Communications with Northern Ireland Water, said: "Our figures show the number of blockages is greater in areas with a high density of catering outlets. We need to alert restaurants and cafes to the potential damage they can cause by disposing of fats and grease down the sink – both to their own premises and surrounding properties.

"Valuable resources are being spent fixing these problems which could be invested in other areas."

(GK/SP)