article_snippet: Discarded wet wipes are blighting Britain’s shores – with a 50 per cent rise last year in the number found.
article_snippet: the Marine Conservation Society’s complained that wet wipes – which are being used to remove make-up, replace toilet paper and apply fake tan – do not disintegrate like toilet paper, which means they survive being flushed or thrown away.
article_snippet: Earlier this year, Southern Water revealed more than 2,000 tons of wet wipes were playing havoc with sewers in Kent.
article_snippet: Research for United Utilities in South West showed one in ten households have had blocked toilets and drains due to baby wipes and make-up wipes.
article_snippet: Charlotte Coombes of the Marine Conservation Society’s said the wipes should be thrown in the bin, not down the toilet, adding:
article_snippet: ‘Our sewerage systems weren’t built to cope with wet wipes … Our sewerage systems typically contain plastic so once Our sewerage systems reach the sea
article_snippet: Our sewerage systems last for a very long time.
article_snippet: ‘Our sewerage systems can cause blockages in our sewers, then everything else that has been flushed down the loo can either back up into people’s homes, or overflow into rivers and seas.
article_snippet: ‘Overflows also happen during excessive rainfall, or if the plumbing hasn’t been connected up properly, meaning the wrong pipes are heading straight to the sea.
article_snippet: That’s when we find sewage-related debris, including wet wipes, on the beach.
highlights_snippet: Wet wipes do not disintegrate and survive being flushed or thrown away .
  