Long the scourge of water companies for blocking pipes, a ban on the sale of wet wipes made of plastic has been signed into law.

The new rules will come into force in 2027 and will bring England into line with legislation across the rest of the UK.

Plastic wipes don't disintegrate when flushed down the toilet, so when oil and fat congeal on them, so-called fatbergs form in sewers, which water companies say cost them £200m a year to clear.

Most of the wipes that are sold in the UK are now made of non-plastic materials but the government and water companies say they should not be labelled as "flushable" because they can still cause blockages.

The wet wipe manufacturers contacted by the BBC said their non-plastic "flushable" wipes have been thoroughly tested and comply with all the rules.

Fatbergs can become huge if the blockage is not cleared.

Just last month a massive stinking lump of wet wipes, fat and oil was removed from a west London sewer. It weighed the same as eight double-decker buses and took a specialist team more than a month to break down.

The market for wet wipes has been growing steadily for years. According to government figures in 2023, 32 billion wipes were sold to UK consumers of which about 12 billion contained plastic. If they were all laid out flat that's enough to cover 2,200 football pitches with plastic wipes.

Though they welcomed the new legislation for England, water industry sources were also quick to point out its limitations.

UK companies will still be able to manufacture and export plastic wet........

© BBC