Warning to Brits who've received a bottle of Bailey's today

It's Christmas Day, which as well as being a time to reflect on the birth of our Lord and Saviour, is the day when one drink takes centre stage.

I am, of course, talking about Baileys.

The creamy liqueur is a fairly standard Christmas gift, and even if someone doesn't buy it for you, you might have decided to stick one in your fridge anyway.

The much-loved stocking filler will have brought a smile to many a face around the world today (25 December).

Families will have rejoiced, sharing a glass or two as they celebrate with their nearest and dearest before stuffing their faces with a mountain of food.

However, a common problem people keep encountering with the tipple is that they don't always get through them before the festive period is over.

Understandably, once you're into the New Year and faced with the cold, harsh light of January, however, it doesn't seem like a very appropriate drink, and it becomes the thing that remains in your fridge for months on end.

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That's a bit of a problem, though, because Baileys does have an expiration date, and if you are getting rid of it, there's something you absolutely shouldn't do.

While the drink company itself says it has a shelf life of two years from the date of bottling, opened or unopened, there are others who warn that you'd better quaff the lot within six months.

As a general rule of thumb if the bottle is unopened then it might be alright for two years, but once opened you should probably finish it off within six months.

The drink contains dairy cream, which goes bad over time, and since you don't want to chug a rancid drink you might end up having to chuck it out.

Now normally you'd think about pouring the expired beverage down the kitchen sink and sticking the bottle in the recycling, but according to the Daily Mirror that's not what you should do.

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They report that tradesmen from MyBuilder.com have warned that Baileys can 'wreak havoc' with your plumbing and even end up blocking your pipes.

Since dairy cream contains a lot of fat, it puts Baileys in the list of things that should never go down your sink.

The big three are fat, oil and grease, they're not good for your pipes and can end up clogging your plumbing up which is really not what you need at this time of year, or any time really.

If you want to get rid of old, rancid Baileys properly it seems as though the proper method is to pour the liquid contents into a container and then chuck that in your bin.

That's how you get rid of the stuff that shouldn't be going down your kitchen sink.