The countdown to Christmas is now on, and if you're (un)lucky enough to be doing the honours of whipping up the festive meal this year, chances are you're probably well into the preparation process.
But while you might have bought everything in and got your recipes at the ready, what you might not have considered are the things you definitely shouldn't do during the cooking process.
It might seem daft, but there are some mistakes you can make while cooking up a storm in the kitchen that can land you a hefty bill.
According to the Consumer Council for Water , one in five of us will dump fat, oil and grease from cooking up roast dinners down the drain this Christmas - a mindless action which can cause serious problems.
While fat can go down a plughole easily when still hot, when it cools it solidifies, and transforms into something called a 'fatberg'. These fatbergs then block sinks, drains, and even entire sewers, meaning you'll have to pay for somebody to come and remove them to ensure you have working drainage in your home.
Steve Grebby, from the Consumer Council for Water, said: "Many of us love a Christmas roast but our drains and sewers cannot stomach them – that’s why it’s so important not to let fatbergs feed on our leftovers."
He added: "Fat and grease should be left to cool before being scraped straight into the bin.
"It might cost you a little more time and effort but it’ll save you the heartache and money of trying to clear your drain or deal with the devastation of seeing your home flooded with sewage."
According to the Consumer Council for Water, 'Water companies spend about £100 million of customers’ cash every year clearing clogged up sewers. More than half of these blockages are caused by fat, oil, grease and other items that have no place in our sewers like wet wipes and sanitary products'.
The Water Watchdog also says that 6,500 homes and work places end up being flooded with sewage as a result of blockages caused by fat and other unflushables, with thousands more households counting the cost of getting someone to clear their drain.
So think twice before flushing your hot fat down the sink - or it could end up being a more costly Christmas than you first thought.
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