It is National Yorkshire Pudding Day on Sunday, 1 February, and while we’re all looking forward to a proper roast, Severn Trent is issuing a bit of a grim warning. It turns out that those crispy, golden staples of the British Sunday lunch are causing a huge mess in our sewers. What starts as a bit of leftover batter or a tray full of meat fat in your kitchen can quickly turn into a nightmare underground.
The water company is urging everyone to be a binner, not a blocker this weekend. Pouring that greasy residue or spare batter down the sink might feel like the easy option, but it’s essentially setting a trap for your own plumbing.
Leftover Yorkshire batter is basically liquid concrete.
You might think that because Yorkshire pudding batter is liquid when it’s raw, it’ll just wash away with some hot water. It won’t. Once that batter hits the cooler temperatures of your external pipes, it solidifies and clings to the walls like glue. When you add the fats, oils, and greases from your roast beef or chicken into the mix, you’re creating a stubborn, gunk-filled clog that narrows your pipes until nothing can get through.
@mr_hamlets 100-Metre Fatberg Discovered Beneath Whitechapel Sewer in Tower Hamlets #mrhamlets ♬ original sound – Mr Hamlets
Fatbergs form when cooking waste mixes with unflushable items.
The real trouble kicks off when that hardened batter and grease meet all the other things that shouldn’t be in the sewers, such as wet wipes, cotton buds, and sanitary products. These items bind together to create fatbergs, which are massive, solid blocks of filth that can stretch for metres. These aren’t just a minor nuisance; they’re huge, heavy masses that require teams of engineers and serious equipment to break apart.
Severn Trent cleared nearly 30,000 blockages last year alone.
If you think one person pouring a bit of oil down the drain doesn’t matter, look at the stats from 2025. Severn Trent had to clear nearly 30,000 blockages across the region. In that time, they removed 20 million litres of fats, oils, and greases from the system. To put that in perspective, that is enough gunk to fill eight Olympic-sized swimming pools. Every single one of those blockages carried the risk of sewage backing up into someone’s kitchen or flooding a local street.
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Simple kitchen habits can prevent the problem entirely.
It only takes a few seconds to change how you clean up after a roast, and it’ll save you a massive headache later. Here is how to keep your pipes clear:
- The kitchen roll trick: Before you even put your plates or roasting trays in the sink, give them a proper wipe with a piece of kitchen roll to soak up the grease and batter. Pop that straight in the bin.
- The jar method: Keep an old jam jar or a tin under the sink. Pour your used cooking oil and meat fats into it, let it cool and solidify, and then chuck the whole thing in the bin.
- Use a strainer: Buy a cheap sink strainer to catch any stray bits of food or lumps of batter. It’s the last line of defence before anything hits your pipes.
The company wants people to ‘be a binner, not a blocker.’
Severn Trent is asking customers to share these simple tips with friends and family, especially over the weekend when roast dinners are on the menu. Proper disposal protects your home from flooding and keeps the sewer system running smoothly for everyone.
Nobody wants their Sunday afternoon ruined by a blocked drain and a visit from the drainage engineers. By taking these tiny steps, you’re protecting your home and making sure the only thing filling up this weekend is your stomach, not your sewers.