An estimated 30million wet wipes have been removed from the Isle of Wight’s sewer network in recent years, as Southern Water warns that so-called ‘flushable’ wipes continue to cause widespread blockages despite an upcoming ban on plastic-containing products.
The figure forms part of new estimates released by Southern Water, which says around 1 billion wet wipes are removed from its sewer network across the South East each year.
Across the region, Kent accounts for an estimated 370 million wipes, Sussex 330 million, Hampshire 270 million and the Isle of Wight around 30 million.
Wet wipes have become one of the leading causes of sewer blockages, with Southern Water saying they were responsible for 59% of all blockages cleared between 2020 and 2025 – more than 91,000 incidents.
The water company says it deals with around 30,000 sewer blockages every year, many of which could be prevented if wet wipes and other non-flushable items were disposed of in household bins rather than flushed down toilets.
Matt Collins, FOG & Unflushables Manager, has said:
“We deal with around 30,000 blockages every year, and a lot of these could be avoided if wipes and other non-flushables were put in the bin instead.
Article continues below this advertisement “Unlike toilet paper, wet wipes, even those labelled ‘flushable’, don’t break down quickly enough. Instead, they snag in pipes and combine with fats and debris to form fatbergs that block sewers and overwhelm the system.
“From spring next year, it will be illegal to sell wet wipes containing plastic. This is a really positive step, and one many of us in the industry have been hoping for. But from what my team and I see day to day, it doesn’t go far enough to reflect the scale of the problem.”
Although the sale of wet wipes containing plastic will be banned from Spring 2027, Southern Water says products marketed as ‘flushable’ can still create significant problems because they do not break down quickly enough once inside the sewer network.
The consequences of blocked sewers can include flooding in homes and businesses, expensive clean-up operations and pollution of rivers and coastlines.
Southern Water is urging residents across the Isle of Wight to remember the ‘3 Ps’ when using the toilet – only flush pee, poo and paper – and to dispose of wet wipes in the bin instead.
The company says simple changes in household habits can help reduce sewer blockages, protect the environment and avoid costly damage to homes and businesses.
Why wait for legislation. All shops could stop selling them now.
Bit like disposable vapes. I thought they stopped
selling them, thousands of numpties are still sucking
on them.
Like a bunch of grown up babies, it is so embarrassing
seeing these uneducated adult numpties damaging
their lives.
They are charging me £533 a year(£44.41p per month) for my water because I do not have a meter,so I am going to use my hose,and I am going to use wet wipes. Stop ripping us off to treat the grey water when you are not treating it, and polluting our seas and rivers.
Good i hope you get a backed up sewage blockage.
He’s got a point. They lose just under 100million litres each day in leaks, thats over 35 billion litres each year. They pump raw sewage into the sea, and want to pump even more in at Bembridge with a new pipe, yet when we say clean up your act, they put their hands out and ask for more money. to top it all, they have ran the business so badly they’re somewhere in the region of £6b in debt. Over a quarter of our bills services that debt one, and doesn’t improve the service at all. Over £300m each year directly to financial markets and corporate bondholders. its a disgrace and an absolute scandal.
It’s you doing the polluting then, or are you expecting us all to pay more for the added costs of the water companies to treat the excess pollution?
Chemical Leaching: Wipes are impregnated with various chemical additives to preserve moisture, add scent, and clean. These include PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and potential carcinogens like formaldehyde, which leach into the environment and harm aquatic habitats, and into the food chain.
If the selfish would just stop f**king up the world ALL our costs would go down, and we’d all be a lot healthier. Currently we’re paying to clear up your mess. Literally.
Well Cockrobin , I pay £43.20 a month and I do have a meter so not much difference
Lucky you, I am paying over £50 a month
and I don’t use that much water.
I THINK SOUTHERN WATER BILL PEOPLE ALL
DIFFERENT PRICES WHETHER THEY HAVE A METER
OR NOT.
last year for just the 2 of us £52.20 per month
Just ban them it should be simple but no.
We didn’t have them back in the day and all survived.
Blimey, if true thats several hundred wet wipes for every inhabitant of the Island. Can someone explain if they are instead of or as well as toilet paper or kitchen roll or soap and flannel? What are they for, exactly? Somehow our generation and the previous ones and the one after ours got through the rigours of life without them.
Some of the ‘luxury’ toilet paper also doesn’t decompose that quickly. After 25 years at current address I’ve recently had to unblock the sewer twice….build up of tissue. I’ve gone back to the cheap thin stuff, and separating the sheets rather than one longer piece.
Have discovered that the cement in the pipe joins is failing, creating a catch point.
It’s a job I’m putting off. Ewww.
Very true, the love your bum rolls are too thick.
Start building reservoir’s and I’ll stop flushing wet wipes
Only Numpties flush such things.