Flushed away wet wipes making rivers 'look like scenes from The Nightmare Before Christmas'

Flushed away wet wipes are making rivers look like a scene from The Nightmare Before Christmas, an MP has said. Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, spoke as ministers were urged to get on with a ban on wet wipes containing plastics, saying trees along one section of riverbank were often 'littered with wet wipes'.

An outright ban is a 'very achievable action', ministers heard today after proposed legislation was tabled to reduce environmental damage.

One MP urged the Government to 'come clean' following the conclusion of a period of public consultation in February and 'move ahead' with the ban, saying a move would lessen the 'use of wet wipes altogether' and 'dramatically reduce plastic in our environment'. Tim Burton's acclaimed 1993 musical fantasy features ghostly white characters and snow scenes.

Labour MP Mr Gwynne posed questions at Environment Minister Rebecca Pow in a Commons debate on Thursday. He said: "When there are overflow discharges into rivers from water treatment works these wet wipes aren't filtered out, and as the secretary of the Friends of the Tame Valley, and she will know that the River Tame has a very high concentration of microplastics, it is a massive concern that the trees along the riverbank are littered with wet wipes.

“So, what is she doing not just to get the message out not to flush wet wipes down the toilet, but also to clean up our riverbanks so that they don't look like a horrific scene from a Nightmare Before Christmas?"

Ms Pow responded: "I can only agree with him that it is revolting and these wet wipes do go down the – that's why we get these more frequently than we need overflows of sewage … because they are being blocked by wet wipes.

"It’s slightly extraordinary really.