"What I would say to everybody is if you don't need to use a wet wipe, don't, but also don't chuck them down the loo."

My mum made do with a hanky & spit.

FarNorth a response any response from my Tory Cabinet MP would be great - alas not unless tv cameras or press photo opportunity avails itself. I have tried.

GagaJo

My mum used to take out a damp flannel in a soap dish for my brother and me, over 50 years ago. I've started doing it with my grandson.

I remember the smell of the flannels my mum used to clean us up - the same flannel used on all four children kept in a plastic bag! Yuck!

i believe at least half of collected refuse in london is incinerated, generating heat and energy.
i don't see wipes as particularly harmful.
they can be useful for maintaining hygiene.
i am very respectful of drains.
a woman nearby, middle class, middle-aged, went
outside her house with a saucepan and emptied the contents into the storm drain in the road, seemed to be oily rice, piled on the grating.
when it rains the water pools there and spreads across the road, hazardous for drivers and pedestrians.

well said houseplantqueen, i hesitated to mention that.

and obviously i'm appalled about the island in the thames, and agree we all need to start taking more responsibility.

there are so many problems to be addressed. eg "huge piles of plastic rubbish much bigger than the united kingdom are already floating through our oceans". it's hard to get your head around that one isn't it.

I have never. knowingly, used a wet wipe.so it isn't a problem.

They can be very useful for someone who finds it difficult to use toilet paper thoroughly because of limited mobility, but there is certainly no excuse for flushing them away.