River Thames: Volunteers clear up wet wipe mounds

Campaigners say they having to clear up piles of discarded wet wipes which have formed "small mountains" on the banks of the River Thames.

London's Victorian sewage system means that wipes flushed down the toilet are often deposited straight onto the riverbanks when it rains.

When mixed with mud the wipes form slimy layers which change the shape of the rivers banks, with one mound extending 1.4m (4ft 6in) in five years.

Volunteers from the charity Thames 21 have been collecting discarded wipes from the river for the last six years.