Thames Water warns against grease this Christmas

As British homeowners prepare for Christmas season, Thames Water has highlighted one of the more problematic sides of the festivities.

Every year, the organisation is called upon to help clear 10,000 blockages caused by residents pouring animal fats down their drains.

Christmas brings an unwelcome 25 per cent rise in the amount of oil, grease and fat poured down water pipes, which then solidifies in sewers and causes problematic blockages.

Thames Water's Rob Smith advised that UK drains are only designed to take "water, toilet tissue and human waste".

"Anything else – including fat and grease and even items that are marketed as flushable – can put your pipes at risk of nasty blockages, as they won't dissolve."

In other water-related news, the Italian city of Venice was flooded earlier this month as heavy rains hit the region and forced water levels up.