Warning issued to anyone planning on drinking Baileys this Christmas

Christmas is drawing ever closer, and we're officially counting down the days until we can put on our paper crowns, belt out The Pogues and clutch onto a glass of our favourite festive bev.

While many of us opt for a mulled wine or a glass of bubbly, it's safe to say the vast majority of those indulging in the festivities can't say no to a cheeky glass of Baileys.

The beloved Irish cream liqueur drink is a total Christmas staple, with countless households stocking up on more than one bottle of the stuff to enjoy throughout the festive blur.

Though of course, it always goes by a lot quicker than we want it to - and more often than not, we end up with some leftover booze we chuck out.

There's a warning to consider when stocking up on Bailey's this year though, and it concerns the way you get rid of it.

(Newscast/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

How to safely get rid of Baileys

Although it may seem tempting to tip any leftovers down the sink, it's not worth it.

Alex Saunders, head of Southern Water, told Birmingham Live: "Something like Baileys, which has a cream content could add to problems. No one likes a nasty surprise over the festive season and a blocked drain is no different.

"This is the time of year where we do see an increase in blockages, and so many of these can be easily avoided. Blocked sewers can cause flooding to homes and unclogging them can take a lot of time and effort."

A potential silver lining is that you've got an extra excuse to just polish off the lot.

Southern Water also referenced the importance of being mindful of how you discard greasy or oily sauces from takeaways - as it can have the same clogging effect.

But it's not all about takeout - our sewage systems battle 50 tonnes of fat from every million turkeys cooked.

Choosing to pour any form of oily liquid down the sink leaves you at risk of 'fatbergs' and blockages.

Baileys and your drain is a recipe for disaster (Getty Stock Image)

This can cause hard to solve problems for your drains due to the liquid cooling down and solidifying further down the pipe and drain system.

'Fatbergs' is a term for the congealed fat, oil, and non-biodegradable household items such as baby wipes or nappies that have been wrongly discarded and flushed.

Not only that, but making these choices can result in a very unpleasant smell.

As per Maintain Drains: As these items take longer to break down, they get stuck in the sewer system, blocking the drain pipes. This causes blockage and can even result in the pipes breaking.

"The most common item to cause a fatberg is fat oil and grease. By putting these items down your drain, you can slowly cause a fatberg due to other substances (such as wet wipes) combining with the oil.

"The substances can no longer flow through your drain swiftly and can get caught and stuck in the drain with other non flushable objects. This can result in drain blockages."