Wet wipes containing plastic banned from 2027

Around 94% of sewer blockages are caused by wet wipes, costing around £200 million to fix annually, a burden which further increases household water bills

The sale of wet wipes containing plastic will be banned in England from spring 2027 following a consultation in which 95% of the public supported the proposals. An average of 20 plastic-containing wet wipes litter every 100 metres of UK beach, according to Defra Beach Litter Monitoring Data.

When flushed, plastic-laced wet wipes degrade into microplastics which “cause needless but significant harm to wildlife in rivers, and will eventually do the same in seas and oceans,” said a Rivers Trust spokesperson. They called the ban “a positive, if overdue, step”.

Stephanie Cawley, Director of Customer Operations at Severn Trent said: “Plastics in wet wipes makes them stronger and harder to break down, meaning they cause even more issues when flushed and are behind a huge number of blockages.”  

UK Water Industry Research estimate 94% of sewer blockages are caused by wet wipes, costing around £200 million to fix annually, a cost which is passed onto households via water bills.

The Rivers Trust spokesperson added: “All wet wipes, even those labelled 'flushable', can still block pipes and form fatbergs, making raw sewage discharges more likely and building up on riverbeds and banks to form wet wipe 'islands'.”

A 250-metre island containing five million wet wipes was removed from the foreshore of the Thames near Hammersmith Bridge in September 2025 by Port of London Authority, Thames Water and Thames21.

Emma Reynolds, Environment Secretary, said the ban “will put an end to plastic wet wipes which choke our sewers, litter our beaches and poison wildlife…Every wet wipe flushed down the toilet risks blocking sewers, causing pollution and pushing up household bills. The solution is simple: bin wet wipes, don’t flush them.”

Cawley added: “Our message is only the three P’s, pee, poo and paper should be flushed, and putting wet wipes of any kind in the bin will make a massive difference to the sewer network and the communities we serve.”

“The government must now go further to improve labelling of all wet wipes so those [using] them don’t flush them and unknowingly harm our waterways."

Emma Hardy, Water Minister has urged manufacturers to state on packaging that wet wipes should be binned and not flushed, a sentiment echoed by the Rivers Trust, which said: “The government must now go further to improve labelling of all wet wipes so those who need to use them don’t flush them and unknowingly harm our waterways."

High street pharmacy, Boots, was among the first to remove all plastic-containing wipes from sale in stores and online. Steve Ager, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer at Boots, said: “We believe that healthy communities need a healthy planet, so we are pleased to see the government taking action, as a ban on wipes containing plastic will have a much bigger impact than retailers acting alone.”

The government says the ban is an important part of its ambition to overhaul the water sector and rebuild trust in the industry. Its plan includes preventing pollutants from entering the sewerage network and waterways.

A ban on the manufacture of wet wipes containing plastic will be considered once the supply and sale ban has come into effect.