The River Thames is one of the worst rivers in the world for plastic pollution.

Scientists at Royal Holloway University have estimated that 94,000 microplastics per second flow down the river in places.

Tiny bits of plastic have been found inside the bodies of crabs living in the Thames.

And wet wipes flushed down the toilet are accumulating in large numbers on the shoreline.

The researchers at Royal Holloway are calling for stricter regulations on how plastics are labelled and disposed of.

Professor Dave Morritt said: "Taken together these studies show how many different types of plastic, from microplastics in the water through to larger items of debris physically altering the foreshore, can potentially affect a wide range of organisms in the River Thames.

"The increased use of single-use plastic items, and the inappropriate disposal of such items, including masks and gloves, along with plastic-containing cleaning products, during the current Covid-19 pandemic, may well exacerbate this problem."

The scientists do point out however that the Thames is less polluted than it used to be in regards to trace metals.

Study researcher, Katherine McCoy, added: "Our study shows that stricter regulations are needed for the labelling and disposal of these products. There is great scope to further research the impacts of microplastics and indeed microfibres on Thames organisms."

The plastic is believed to have come from ashing machine outflows and potentially from sewage outfalls, plus fragments from the breakup of larger plastics, such as packaging items and bottles, which are washed into the river.

Wildlife has also been adversely affected with crabs ingesting plastics.