Don’t let fatbergs ‘crepe’ up this Pancake Tuesday

04 March 2025 16:45

NI Water would like to remind the public this Pancake Tuesday that after they are finished creating their pancakes to correctly dispose of the Fat, Oil and Grease (FOG) in the bin to help avoid blockages in the wastewater system.

The risk of pouring FOG down the sink is that it causes major blockages in the wastewater system and it could potentially end up in your street if, for example, it causes a fatberg and overflows out of manholes.

The advice from NI Water is that when disposing of FOG it is a good idea to let it cool and solidify and then scrape it into the rubbish bin. The wastewater drains which run from each house are just 4 inches wide and only designed for human waste and toilet roll so it is important to remember to always bin inappropriate items and only ever flush the 3 Ps – pee, poo and paper.

NI Water Education Officer, Anna Killen, appeals to pancake lovers to pay close attention to the disposal of their FOG. Anna said: “When fat, oil and grease cools it solidifies and this then creates blockages in the sewerage system that can often result in raw sewage flooding gardens and homes. These effects can be devastating for you and your neighbours and costs NI Water thousands of pounds per year to clear the blockages that occur.

“We are therefore appealing to our customers not to pour their FOG from their pancake pans down the sink.”

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Media enquiries to the NI Water Press Office via email to press.office@niwater.com