A DORRIDGE school girl wiped away the competition when she was crowned winner of a National Marine Conservation Society (NMCS) competition.
Holly Giddings won the society’s competition to name the wet wipe monster as part of the Wet Wipes Turn Nasty campaign.
The 9-year-old’s winning name was “Octagrime” and she was presented with a certificate and a personalised T-shirt with the monster with his name on it.
Holly said: “When I read about the competition, I was keen to have a go as I knew it would help the environment.
“I was surprised when I heard that I had won but pleased.
“I think it is important that we all do what we can to keep our oceans and planet healthy and happy.
“I’m going to wear my T-shirt lots to keep spreading the word.”
The competition was designed to increase awareness of the dangers of flushing wet wipes and to promote marine conservation.
The NMCS said: “Wet wipes – either whole or in pieces – end up as rubbish on the beaches, which can then be mistaken for food by all sorts of precious marine life.
“Companies label these products as flushable and biodegradable – yet many wet wipes contain plastic and don’t breakdown.
“They just break up and become smaller, tinier particles – but they don’t disappear – they just become part of our ever-growing microplastic problem.
“Zooplankton mistake microplastic for food, and these little guys form the base of the food chain – they, in turn, are eaten by the fish that we eat.”
