Southern Water’s team of engineers have donned Santa hats and hit the road this festive season in a bid to prevent fatbergs from ruining Christmas for households across the Isle of Wight and beyond.
The water company’s FOG and Unflushables team has been touring known sewer blockage hotspots in the region, targeting areas where fatbergs – congealed masses of fat, oil, grease and non-biodegradable waste – are most likely to form.
As part of the campaign, the team even made an appearance at the National Drainage Show in London to raise awareness, with the simple message: ‘Bin for the Win’.
Matt Collins, who leads the campaign for Southern Water, has said:
“There’s a one-in-ten chance of a fatberg blocking your pipes this Christmas if you pour fat, oil and grease down the sink – turkey or otherwise.
“Festive feasting can leave sewers stuffed and customers may have to pay the price to clear their pipes if they find themselves with a blockage.”
Southern Water says more than 70% of sewer blockages are preventable, and in 2025 alone, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have seen over 6,800 fatberg-related incidents. It’s estimated that for every 1 million turkeys cooked, around 250 tonnes of fat and oil ends up in the sewer network.
Fatbergs form when cooking fats, oils and grease – known collectively as FOG – combine with unflushable items such as wet wipes, sanitary products and cotton buds. These hard masses can block pipes, causing costly plumbing issues and even sewer flooding.
To reduce the risk, Southern Water is reminding residents to flush only the 3 Ps: pee, poo and paper. Everything else should go in the bin, including:
- Fats, oils and grease
- Nappies, sanitary products and colostomy bags
- Baby wipes, cleansing pads and cotton buds
- Dental floss, plastic razors and similar hygiene items
As an alternative to pouring fat down the sink, the company recommends freezing leftover turkey fat into stock cubes, which can be used to flavour casseroles, soups, risottos and roast potatoes.
For more tips on keeping your pipes clear this winter, visit www.southernwater.co.uk.
Maybe they can get together and stop all the leaks and while they are at it stop ripping us off. Got no time for this rip off company. Do you actually remember when you last had a meter reading, nope. They are guesstimating your bill and setting it to the max they can grab.
All these companies charge customers for “their” errors.
“the company recommends freezing leftover turkey fat”
Perhaps southern water should stick to being crap at providing a public service, without trying to be crap at cooking as well…