Hallowe’en, ‘trick or treat’ and pumpkin lanterns are becoming increasingly popular in the UK at the end of October. But there is a scary problem with pumpkins that can cause big problems – and big bills – for your drains.

Along with the pumpkin carving comes the problem of what to do with the sticky waste from inside the vegetables. When pumpkin pulp goes down the kitchen sink, the orange flesh hardens and sticks to the pipes, leading to clogged drains.

Drain Doctor Plumbing (www.draindoctor.co.uk) – the UK’s premier combined emergency plumbing and drain repair service – has its roots in the USA where the celebration of Halloween is even more widespread than in this country.

Drain Doctor general manager Robin Banks said: “Unfortunately, along with the fun, we have also been importing the problems. But we can learn from the USA in how to deal with them.

“Happily, the trick to keeping pumpkin pulp and seeds from turning Halloween into a plumbing nightmare is as easy as pie.

“Instead of carving your jack-o’-lantern over the kitchen sink, try doing it on a pile of newspaper on the kitchen table or work top. You need to be careful when removing and disposing of the pumpkin’s sticky insides.

“Keep the paper well away from the sink. Carefully wrap the pulp and then either bin it or – better still – put it in the compost heap. The paper as well as the pumpkin residue will rot down nicely over the winter.”

And instead of throwing away the seeds, Halloween revellers can plant some for next year’s crop of Hallowe’en pumpkins. The seeds can also be roasted for a tasty and nutritious seasonal snack.

But if you do have a Hallowe’en drain problem it need not be a complete nightmare. Drain Doctor is available on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Its services include all plumbing and drainage repairs, CCTV drain surveys, drain lining and replacement. Customers get fixed-price, no obligation quotes, a complete guarantee on all work, and a full 24 hour per day seven day per week service with no call out charges – so people pay the same price for work at any time of day or night, with no scary Hallowe’en bills!

If you experience a blockage call Drain Doctor on 0800 70 71 72.