New plan to protect water supplies have been announced by the UK government on Tuesday, amid a long-running scandal over privatised water firms pumping raw sewage into rivers and onto seashores.
The ban on plastic-based wipes is expected to come into force in the next year as part of a wider plan to improve water quality in England, where no river or waterway is considered clean.
The plan comes amid a continuing pollution scandal, which saw waste water discharges spark the closure of a number of UK beaches at the height of the heatwave last summer.
The Conservative government said its proposals would “clean up our waters and ensure a plentiful supply for the future”.
It added that the “Plan for Water” will seek more investment from water companies, stronger regulation and tougher fines for polluters.
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Consultation on a ban on wet wipes containing plastic, which are blamed for causing sewer blockages when flushed down the toilet are part of the new initiative that will bring forward £1.6 billion (US$2 billion) of water infrastructure investment to start between now and 2025, which opponents have argued was not new cash.
“We are strengthening regulation and tightening enforcement. That means increasing inspections, linking shareholder pay-outs to environmental performance, and handing down potentially unlimited penalties for a wider range of offences more quickly,” Environment Secretary Therese Coffey wrote in a newspaper article.
The fines would be reinvested into a new Water Restoration Fund to support local groups and community-led schemes to clean up waterways.
However, Coffey cautioned that there would be no quick fix to replumb Britain’s antiquated Victorian sewage system.
Story was adapted from CNA.
