Kingsbridge residents have been advised not to flush wet wipes down the toilet after raw sewage spilled onto the streets shortly before Christmas.

Sewage flooded the town’s main bus shelter and into the head of the Quay car park, located at the lower end of the town centre, after the sewers became blocked on Wednesday December 20, reportedly following heavy rains.

According to a council spokesperson, sewage spilled out of manhole covers, adding that it was all due to one offending item used by households - wet wipes.

“Whenever South West Water come out to us it’s because they pick up hundreds and hundreds of wet wipes,” he said, adding that the town’s combined system of drains and sewers would be able to cope were it not for these items.

“If people just stuck to their ‘three p-rule’ (pee, poo and paper) down the loo and nothing else, none of this would happen and we would all be happy. But the more people keep doing it, the more stuff’s going to block and the more flooding we’re going to get.”

In response to the spill, the council issued a statement on its Facebook page, saying: “Most of our sewers are only 15cm wide. They are perfectly designed to transport all wastewater, pee, poo and toilet paper.

“Unfortunately, other items find themselves down the sewer - several blockages have been cleared in Kingsbridge recently by South West Water. The main culprits discovered were wet wipes which should not be flushed down toilets. Please follow the 3P rule! Your ordinary steps can make an extraordinary difference - THANK YOU!”

According to the Water UK trade association, wet wipes contribute to 94 per cent of sewer blockages. They are also the single biggest cause of fatbergs that block sewage systems, and are a major contributor towards littering in rivers.

This is due to the composition of most wet wipes, as they contain strong fibres which, unlike toilet paper, do not break down in sewers.

According to recent research by the association, 22 per cent of people admit to flushing wet wipes down the toilet despite 88 per cent saying they are aware they harm the environment.

This is despite the overwhelming majority of the public saying they care about protecting the environment, oppose the pollution of rivers and seas, and are in favour of protecting wildlife.

In response, Water UK has urged the public to ‘Bin the Wipe’.

In October the government also launched a six-week public consultation to ban wet wipes that contain plastic.

Firms such as Boots and Tesco already stopped the sale of these types of wet wipes.