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Yorkshire water company calls for mandatory labels on wet wipes to prevent blocked pipes

Yorkshire Water believes customers do not understand the current labelling system

Wet wipes(Image: Shared Content Unit)

One of the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ's largest water companies has called for mandatory 'do not flush' labelling on wet wipes as it spends "millions" on clearing blockages.

Yorkshire Water said current labelling on the products - particularly baby and toilet wipes - leaves consumers confused over how to dispose of them correctly.

The firm said many people believe wipes without a 'fine to flush' label can be flushed, especially if they are labelled as 'biodegradable'.

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However, it warned that neither 'biodegradable' nor 'fine to flush' products break down in the sewer network and can cause significant issues in the system.

Such blockages can lead to restricted toilet use for customers, sewage escapes into properties and gardens and in some cases pollution in local watercourses.

A large proportion of the 11bn wet wipes used in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ every year still contain some form of plastic, according to the Marine Conservation Society, and evidence suggests they are the cause of more than nine in 10 blockages in º£½ÇÊÓÆµ sewers.

Ben Roche, director of wastewater at Yorkshire Water, said: "Consumers are currently faced with an array of different logos and claims on packets of wet wipes, including 'fine to flush', 'do not flush' and 'biodegradable' labels.