Boots will stop selling wet wipes which contain plastic fibres by the end of the year.

The retailer, which has stores across the county, said it will replace them with plant-based alternatives, as reported by The Guardian.

Despite warnings against it, wipes are often flushed down the toilet, causing environmental damage by blocking sewers and waterways.

Boots is one of the UK's biggest sellers of wet wipes and sold over 800m last year across its skincare, baby, tissue and health care ranges.

The retailer had already committed to reformulating its own-brand ranges of wipes to remove plastics.

It is estimated that as many as 11bn wet wipes are used in the UK each year, with most containing some form of plastic. Flushing wipes has led to wet wipe islands forming in rivers, causing the waterways to change shape as the products pile up.

Wipes also make up a significant proportion of the fatbergs which lead to blockages in sewers.