Wet wipes containing plastic will no longer be sold in the UK

Wet wipes made using plastic can often end up polluting the UK's waterways and beaches

The UK government has announced details of a new law which will ban the sale of wet wipes containing plastic.

Plastic takes a very long time to break down, which means that wet wipes made from the material can block drains and sewers, as well as harming the natural environment.

A five year study by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found an average of 20 wet wipes in every 100m of beach surveyed across the UK.

The new law for England will be debated before summer, with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales following in the autumn.

The announcement follows a consultation, where members of the public and businesses were asked for their thoughts on bringing a ban on plastic wet wipes into law.

Over 95% of public responses were in favour of the ban.

The results from businesses were more mixed, with 60% disagreeing, or strongly disagreeing, with the proposal.

The new law will not ban the manufacture of plastic wet wipes, and also allows for plastic wet wipes to be made available for medical use where there isn't another option.

If passed, the law would give companies 18 months to prepare before the ban came into action

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: "I have been clear that a step change is needed to protect our waterways from pollution.

"The ban builds on a raft of actions already taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies accountable."

Labour said the ban did not go far enough, 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."

Jane Martin is the chief executive of City To Sea, an environmental organisation that campaigns against plastic pollution.

Responding to the ban, Jane said: "It's a positive step forward to see the government take action on banning this pollutant, but it must not end there.

"The government should now look to tackle all single-use plastic products through more bans and targets."