Each year, country-wide, there are over 300,000 sewer blockages causing sewage pollution and untold misery to thousands of homes and businesses. It is estimated that around 5000 homes are affected with an annual clean-up cost to the country in excess of £100 million.

Around 75% of the blockages are caused by single use wet wipes, particularly those containing plastics. So who is to blame? The government? water companies, consumers, manufacturers?

On this occasion not the water companies. They have been lobbying the Government without success, for almost a decade to ban wet wipes containing plastics. These products do not biodegrade hence the blockage issue and cause.

Many manufacturers have switched to biodegradable products including the major supermarket retailers. But, like all disposable goods there are those who continue to produce the blocking/plastics variety. So what to do? In principle we should all avoid disposing stuff down the toilet other than paper, pee, and poo.

But in our throw-away society there are always those that dispose uncaringly leading to sewage inundation and misery for others. So Government action is needed. The track record of our lawmakers on this issue, like many other issues, is absolutely pathetic. In the past 7 years to date (2018-2025) we have had the same number of Environment Secretaries; namely Gove, Villiers, Eustace, Jayawardena, Coffey, Barclay, and most recently, Reed.

All have talked of legislation introduction. To date talk has all it has been. Examples? Coffey (now Dame) 2023, “the ban on plastic-based wipes should come into force in 2024.”

Barclay 2024, “ The UK Government will introduce new world-leading legislation to ban wet wipes containing plastic, the Environment Secretary confirmed today (April 2024).

Defra intend to bring forward the legislation for England ahead of the summer 2024 recess.”

All eyes now on Steve Reed, the latest on the escalator of Environment Secretaries. In the last week I have been in touch with Fleur Anderson MP of his party, who has previously campaigned vociferously for wet wipe (plastics) legislative ban during her time on opposition benches.

The response from the MP’s researcher: I have been spearheading this campaign from Fleur's office. Fleur and I had a very productive meeting with the relevant Minister shortly before Parliament broke up for the Christmas break. We were assured that it is still very much coming down the pipeline and we hope to have news in due course.

Political prevarication is a national sport, but this urgent environmental issue and the obnoxious plight endured by many thousands of home dwellings across the country sets a new benchmark of vacillation and can kicking. I am sure that if the MP’s particular debating house and chamber were subjected to disgusting sewer inundation, the necessary legislative motion would be passed – so to speak.