Scheme launched to stop 'fatbergs' blocking sewers by selling waste oil to biofuel firms

Lumps of hard, congealed fat can cause blockages in the sewer system Credit: PA

Cooking buffs are being urged to help stop sewers getting blocked by congealed fat by not pouring it down the sink - and selling it on to renewable energy companies instead.

Yorkshire Water first began the campaign last year in the Bradford Moor district of West Yorkshire, which had become a hotspot for sewer blockages - with 85 reported in just three years.

Despite only launching in 85 homes, the number of blockages has plummeted, with just one since the scheme began.

The utility firm is now rolling it out to other parts of Bradford, with up to 6,000 homes involved.

Fats being poured down drains build up to form "fatbergs" in the sewers, and is a major cause of blockages.

The damage can also be expensive. Yorkshire Water spent £2.3 million on sewer works in the Bradford Moor area in 2013, including work to clear blockages.

An engineer works to clear a blockage of fat from the sewers Credit: PA

Now, residents in these areas are being asked to collect their waste cooking oil in tubs - or 'fat vats' - instead.

Full vats will then be picked up by Yorkshire Water and sold on to renewable energy companies, who can turn it into carbon-neutral biofuel.

The cash raised by the fat-to-fuel scheme will be used to fund a local community centre, Karmand, which has helped steer the idea.

According to the company, just one litre of cooking oil can help generate enough electricity to make 240 cups of tea, or power a flatscreen television for three hours.

Karmand Community Centre project manager, Mohammed Shakeel, said he was delighted that the scheme had proved a success.

Estimates say that around 110,000 tonnes of used cooking oil is poured away by UK households every year - with each tonne capable of powering an entire home with carbon-neutral energy.