Boots, Tesco, Aldi ban item from stores ahead of new strict UK law

A baby essential is set to be banned after 11 BILLION were thrown away in a year. Wet wipes containing plastic are set to be removed from sale in the UK under legislation expected to be confirmed on Monday, it has been reported.

Boots, Tesco, and Aldi have banned ­plastic-based wipes - but Environment Secretary Steve Barclay is expected to announce plans to introduce legislation across the country as the government moves to strengthen the existing rules.

The law would make it illegal to sell or supply wet wipes containing plastic in England, with the rest of the UK set to follow by the autumn. Mr Barclay said: "I have been clear that a step change is needed to protect our waterways from pollution.

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"The ban builds on a raft of actions already taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies accountable, including accelerating investment, putting water company fines back into the environment and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites."

Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed said: "Plastic wet wipes clog up our sewers, kill wildlife and lead to sewage backing up into people’s homes. The Conservatives have broken their promises to act and are too weak to ban them outright."

Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots, said: "We are pleased to see the government now taking action as a ban on all wet wipes containing plastic will have a much bigger impact than retailers taking action alone.

"We all have a collective responsibility to protect the environment and support a healthy planet." Jane Martin, chief executive of charity City To Sea, said: "It's a positive step forward to see the Government take definitive action on banning this pollutant, but action must not end there.

"The Government should now look to tackle all single-use plastic products through further bans and mandated reuse and refill targets."