Wet wipes being sold as "flushable" are responsible for 93 per cent of blockages in UK sewers, an investigation has found.

The popular product - sold for anything from make-up removal to cleaning surfaces - has been routinely failing the water industry's disintegration test, meaning they do not break down sufficiently to allow them to be harmlessly flushed down the toilet.

But because they disappear when they are flushed away, people assume they are safe in doing so.

In reality they end up getting caught up in filters or contribute to giant, fatty buildups known as fatbergs which block sewage pipes and end up in landfill.

BBC Radio 4's Costing The Earth looked into the issue and its investigation claims all wet wipes sold as "flushable" in the UK have so far failed the tests.

Manufacturers insist their products have been tested adequately, and that the reason for the blockages is people putting non-flushable wipes down the toilet.