Grim images showing what happens when wet wipes are flushed down the toilet

The pile of wet wipes were cleared from two streets in Wilton.

Wessex Water says its crews pulled hundreds of wipes from sewers close to the River Wylye in the town, having been called out to clear a spate of blockages.

It says that most wet wipes contain plastic and do not break down quickly like regular toilet paper when flushed, causing obstructions that can cause sewage flooding in people’s homes and pollution of rivers and watercourses.

Wessex Water’s Dave West, whose team had to deal with the blockages, said: “We always advise our customers to only flush the three Ps – (toilet) paper, poo and pee – but unfortunately some people aren’t getting the message.

“The misery and expense of having sewage in your home and garden, not to mention potentially harming the local environment, can easily be avoided by keeping wet wipes out of the toilet.”

Wessex Water clears around 13,000 blockages on its network every year at a cost of £5 million, with wet wipes contributing to the vast majority of them.

It says even wipes marketed as "flushable" often do not pass the water industry’s strict Fine to Flush standards, so the company is advising anyone unsure about what to flush to stick to the three Ps.