Ban on plastic wet wipes possible in government's new water plan

Wet wipes often don't break down. Credit: PA

Plastic wet wipes, which clog up British sewers, could be banned as part of the government's new plan to secure the UK's water supply.

In its Plan for Water, the government wants to see more investment from water companies, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement for those who pollute.

It also includes a consultation on a ban on plastic in wet wipes and restrictions on polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foam, textiles, cleaning products, paints and varnishes.

Plastic wet wipes when flushed down the toilet cause serious damage to sewers and aquatic life.

They don't break down and end up as foundation for enormous fatbergs that can require a huge amount of effort to remove.

Those that don't often end up in rivers and can be toxic to aquatic life - even 'flushable' wet wipes often are only slightly better, according to the World Wildlife Federation.

Wet wipes don't break down and lead to huge fatbergs blocking sewers. Credit: PA

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said on Saturday that water companies could face unlimited penalties for dumping sewage.

These would be reinvested into a new Water Restoration Fund which the government said would support local groups and community-led schemes to clean up waterways.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it has asked water companies to speed up investment in infrastructure to prevent sewage discharges, reduce nutrient pollution and improve the water supply’s resilience to drought.

Ms Coffey said: “Our rare chalk streams and world-famous coastlines, lakes and rivers are hugely important to local communities and to nature.

“I completely understand the concerns that people have about the health and resilience of our waters, which is why I am setting out this plan for a truly national effort to protect and improve them.

“That includes higher penalties taken from water company profits which will be channelled back into the rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed."

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Other proposals include giving farmers £34 million to improve pollution from slurry as well as £10 million to fund more on-farm reservoirs and better irrigation equipment.

The government also wants to encourage water companies to install more smart meters in households to reduce water demand and help rare chalk stream habitats with a £1 million fund.

Labour’s shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon said: “This announcement is nothing more than a shuffling of the deck chairs and a reheating of old, failed measures that simply give the green light for sewage dumping to continue for decades to come.

“This is the third sham of a Tory water plan since the summer. There’s nothing in it that tells us how, if or when they will end the Tory sewage scandal.”