Severn Trent has issued a reminder to be mindful of sink and toilet waste disposal as winter sets in.

The water company wants customers to 'Be a binner, not a blocker' during the colder months.

This follows the end of Unblocktober, a campaign aimed at reducing blockages.

Grant Mitchell, blockages lead for the water company, said: "Unblocktober may have come to an end for 2024, but the message remains to bin everything that shouldn’t be put down the sink or flushed down the toilet.

"With the gloomy weather here and winter setting in, more time will be spent at home.

"And if you’re anything like me, you’ll be enjoying warming soups and roast dinners laden with gravy.

"But with that comes more fats, oils and greases being produced and we need everyone to still be mindful of how they are being disposed of."

He added: "The more we work together to prevent fats, oils and greases going down the sink or unflushable items being flushed down the toilet, the more blockages that we stop, which will mean they won’t potentially cause nasty and costly flooding for customers.

"I always make sure that anything on pots and pans is scraped into the bin before being washed up and any oil is filtered into a container and thrown away and we hope everyone does the same."

The company cleared 28,782 avoidable blockages last year, caused by inappropriate items being disposed of down sinks and toilets.

The main culprits are wet wipes, even those labelled ‘flushable’, ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’, as well as kitchen roll, cotton buds, nappies and sanitary products.

When these items mix with fats, oils and greases, they create fatbergs.

Severn Trent has cleared 14 million litres of fats, oil and greases (FOG) from sewers, saving customers from unnecessary and potentially costly issues.

This is equivalent to six Olympic-sized swimming pools of FOG.

For advice about blockages, visit the water company's website.

Anyone experiencing problems with slow drains or a blocked sewer can report it online or by calling 0800 783 4444.