South West Water backs plans to ban plastic-based wet wipes

04th April 2023

South West Water supports plans launched by the environment secretary Thérèse Coffey today to ban plastic-based wet wipes in a bid to tackle water pollution.

If successful, the ban should come into effect next year, following a consultation as part of a wider plan to improve water quality in England.

Around 93% of all sewer blockages are caused by wet wipes being flushed down toilets and cost around £100 million a year to clear up across the country.

Wet wipes combine with fat and oil that has been poured down sinks and can cause blockages that can lead to homes and gardens being flooded with sewage.

In extreme cases, this can create fatbergs, as seen by South West Water in Sidmouth in 2019 when workers spent eight weeks breaking up 64 metres of congealed fat, oil and wet wipes.

And in 2021, a team of four people spent 34 days removing 88 tonnes of debris from a 50-metre fatberg in Plymouth, the same length as the height of the Arc de Triomphe.

South West Water serves around two million customers across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and each year removes around 450 tonnes of unflushables such as wet wipes, sanitary products and cotton pads from its pumping stations. This is the equivalent of 73 million wet wipes and would be enough to fill 30 double decker buses.

Alan Burrows, South West Water’s Director of Environmental Liaison and Culture, said: “As a company we currently find 8,500 blocked sewers a year, which costs us about £4.5 million to clear and adds to our customers’ bills.

“These blockages are mostly caused by unflushable items which do not beak down in the sewer and cause flooding.

“This can be easily avoided by keeping wet wipes out of our network, which is why we are supporting the Government’s plans to ban plastic-based wipes.

“We work hard to help our customers and we continue to actively encourage everyone to only flush pee, paper and poo down the loo.”

Anthony Mangnall, MP for Totnes, said: “It’s great to hear that plastic-based wipes will be banned, especially as the need to change consumer habits was one of the points raised at last week’s open meeting with South West Water and local residents.

“It is essential that storm overflow discharges are reduced to improve water quality, and while water companies must act to ensure infrastructure is fit for purpose, we all have a part to play to help reduce sewer blockages.”