Severn Trent is flipping the script this Shrove Tuesday and reminding customers to enjoy their pancakes without accidentally cooking up a fatberg underground.  

The message this year is simple; have a flipping great day, but keep batter and grease in the bin, not the drain. 

No matter what topping is on the pancake, whether it’s classic lemon and sugar or something a bit more adventurous, leftover batter and cooking fats have no business slipping down the sink.  

If washed away, they cool and harden faster than a forgotten crêpe, sticking to wipes and other unflushables to create sewer blockages and sewer flooding into customers’ homes that are far from appetising. 

Grant Mitchell, Sewer Blockages Lead at Severn Trent, said: “Every Pancake Day people get excited, but some cook up a storm by allowing batter and grease to go down their sinks.  

“But what they may think is a harmless rinse can quickly turn into a sticky, stubborn lump in the pipes, especially once it mixes with wipes and anything else that shouldn’t have been flushed. 

“A little kitchen mindfulness goes a long way. Scraping batter into the bin or wiping greasy pans before washing them doesn’t take much effort, but it makes a massive difference and protects customers and their homes from troublesome blockages and flooding in the home.” 

To keep things flowing smoothly, Severn Trent is encouraging everyone to make a few simple kitchen swaps:  

In the Kitchen:   

• Wipe plates and pans with kitchen roll to soak up grease before washing.   

• Pour fats, oils and grease into a container, let it cool and bin it – and never put it down the sink.   

Last year, Severn Trent teams cleared nearly 30,000 sewer blockages across the region, many caused by fats, oils, greases (FOG) and wipes that were never meant for drains.  

The company also stopped more than 20 million litres of FOG, which is enough to fill six Olympic-sized swimming pools, from entering the sewer network, protecting pipes, homes and the environment from avoidable damage.  

For more tips on how to look after your home, visit www.stwater.co.uk/my-supply/wintertogether