Protect our sewers against FOG this Christmas

08 December 2011 14:50

NI Water has called on the help of Santa’s elves to keep fat from clogging up the sewers this Christmas.

With the traditional Christmas turkey being cooked throughout Northern Ireland, it is easy to simply pour the excess fat down the sink. However, this causes major problems for NI Water.

Gavin McCready, NI Water’s FOG (fat, oil and grease) expert appeals to those domestic Goddesses (and Gods) to pay close attention to the disposal of their FOG:

“As fat, oil and grease cools, it solidifies; creating blockages in the sewerage system, which often result in raw sewage flooding gardens and homes. The effects of this can be devastating for you and your neighbours and costs NI Water thousands of pounds per year to clear the blockages that occur.”

The wastewater drain which runs from each house is just 4 inches wide and only designed for human waste and toilet roll.

One way to dispose of FOG is to let it cool and solidify, and then scrape it into the rubbish bin. You can view first hand the damage FOG can cause to our sewers by viewing the following video on Youtube www.youtube.com/northernirelandwater.