Discarded wet wipes are blighting Britain ’ s shores – with a 50 per cent rise last year in the number found . An average of 56 wipes per mile were retrieved in the Marine Conservation Society ’ s annual clean-up of some 300 beaches . It also found a sharp rise in litter overall in parts of the UK . Rubbish on some beaches in the South West increased by 89 per cent in 2014 compared with the year before , the MCS found . An average of 56 wipes per mile were retrieved in the Marine Conservation Society ’ s annual clean-up of 300 of Britain 's beaches . Popular holiday destinations in Cornwall were among the worst , including Porthpean , Porthtowan , Gwithian and Gunwalloe Fishing Cove . The MCS 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 . Earlier this year , Southern Water revealed more than 2,000 tons of wet wipes were playing havoc with sewers in Kent . Research for United Utilities in the North West showed one in ten households have had blocked toilets and drains due to baby wipes and make-up wipes . Charlotte Coombes of the MCS said the wipes should be thrown in the bin , not down the toilet , adding : ‘ Our sewerage systems weren ’ t built to cope with wet wipes … they typically contain plastic so once they reach the sea they last for a very long time . ‘ They 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 . ‘ 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 . That ’ s when we find sewage-related debris , including wet wipes , on the beach. ’ Plastic bottles and aluminium cans made up 10 per cent of the litter found in the MCS clean-up in September . The charity called for the introduction of a refund of 10p-30p for containers that are returned for recycling . Volunteers also came across bizarre items including a plastic hand , a colostomy bag , a piping nozzle , and on one beach , nine pairs of shoes . The MCS found an average of 3,955 bits of litter per mile in 2014 , up 6.4 per cent on the year before . Welsh beaches were the dirtiest with an average of 10,360 rubbish items per mile .
300 wet wipes per mile of beach retrieved in annual clean-up of 56 beaches . Wet wipes do not disintegrate and survive being flushed or thrown away . Rubbish on some South West beaches increased by 89 per cent in 2014 . Popular holiday destinations in Cornwall were among the worst .