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Flippin’ eck! Avoid this rookie pancake day mistake or risk a hefty £300 bill
Pancake Day is a time for family and friends to get together and enjoy the festivities, but one expert is warning Brits that this could be a very expensive treat if they are not careful.
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Kitchen expert at Tap Warehouse, Nancy Emery, explains: “Pancake Day is great fun for all the family, but the batter can cause serious damage to drains if it's poured down the sink.
“Pancake batter is made up of flour, eggs and milk and we also use butter or oil to cook the pancakes which is a recipe for disaster when it comes to your drain and pipes,” she said.
“Any leftover batter that’s washed away down the kitchen sink will harden quickly inside pipes which can lead to blockages often referred to as fatbergs and even burst pipes. So, while it runs down the drain in your kitchen sink initially and seemingly disappears, underneath it is quite a different story.
“The trouble is that blockages can be deep in the drainage system and not always accessible to clear yourself. If you’re going to try and clear it, you’ll usually have to access the drain from outside your home which is difficult if you’re not sure where this access lies.
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Pancake Day Race, Buckinghamshire
“You can use a sturdy rod-like instrument to break up the fatberg, but it’s likely you’ll need to roll your sleeves up and dig out the mass yourself to ensure it’s completely free of debris.
“Sometimes, the only way to clear this kind of blockage is to call a professional and that’s not cheap, especially if you have to call them out at the weekend or late in the evening.
“The average cost of unblocking a drain varies depending on the size of the blockage, when you call and whether they need to use rodding or a jetting technique to fix the issue. But you can expect to pay anywhere between £150-£300 for a drain specialist.
“It’s best to discard the leftover batter mix in a DIY fat trap. Simply pour into an empty 2L milk bottle or any other suitable container with a lid. Once the bottle is full, simply discard it in the normal bin.”
Nancy Emery, Kitchen Expert
