WHARFEDALE residents have been urged not to tip fats, oils and grease down the drains over Christmas.

Drain blockages are a major disruption for both Yorkshire Water and residents across the region.

Over the past eight months, Yorkshire Water has dealt with almost 500 blockages in the Bradford district caused by the wrong things being put into the system.

The company spends millions of pounds each year removing tens of thousands of blockages from sewers.

Of these, almost half are caused by fats, oils and greases or nappies, sanitary products, wet wipes and cotton wool buds being put into the network.

There are also a further 3,300 blockages across Yorkshire caused by ‘foreign objects’ and ‘clothes and textiles’.

Residents can help by scraping and wiping plates and pans before washing up and collect waste oil and fat in an old drinks container.

George Kotschy, Yorkshire Water’s spokesman, said: “Fats, oils and greases can cause blockages in the sewer network which can lead to flooding of homes and pollution of watercourses.”