Southern Water urge users to keep pipes clear by giving drains a low-fat diet this festive season

Southern Water are reminding users not to put fat down the drains as they deal with the remains of Christmas dinners.

Southern say they dealt with almost 95,000 sewer blockages over the past five years.

Many of those were caused by congealed fat in sewers which combine with other waste to produce so-called 'fatbergs'.

For every 1 million turkeys cooked, Southern Water say around 250 tonnes of fat and oil can find its way into their network.

Christmas lights, footballs, t-shirts and cutlery have also been found in their sewers over recent years.

Head of Southern Water’s wastewater network, Alex Saunders said: “No-one likes a nasty surprise over the festive season and our sewers are no different. This is the time of year where we see an increase in blockages, and so many of these can be easily avoided.

“A blocked sewer can cause flooding to homes and businesses and unclogging them can take a lot of time, effort and disruption for local communities. So please only flush the three P’s down the toilet (pee, paper and poo) and avoid putting oils and grease down the drain too."

Customers can find some top tips to help reduce blockages on the water company's website.