Metre-high mound of wet wipes that lies by Thames

A MOUND of wet wipes the size of two tennis courts has built up along the Thames, scans have revealed.

River charity Thames21 used sonar and laser technology to map the riverbed as part of work to build a new ‘super sewer’ in the capital. They show how a mound more than a metre tall (3.2ft) has formed in Hammersmith, west London, over six years.

Debbie Leach, chief executive of Thames21, said: ‘This data is a reminder of the damage wet wipes cause. We look forward to when the river is free from this pollution.’ The Mail has fought against plastic pollution with its Turn the Tide on Plastic Campaign. Backbench Labour MP Flora Anderson has introduced a private member’s bill calling for a ban on wet wipes.

She said: ‘Flushing the odd wet wipe may not seem like a big deal, but there are 300,000 blockages every year in our sewers.’ She added that 11 billion wet wipes are used every year in the UK, with 90 per cent of them containing plastic.

The team hopes the scans will encourage people to avoid plastic wet wipes, A report last year by Thames21 found they were ‘the most common item found’ in the Thames.