Liz Bonnin, the BBC television presenter, has called for an immediate ban of single-use plastics in Britain and accused industries and politicians of not doing enough to tackle pollution.

Ahead of a new documentary Drowning in Plastic, Bonnin said that the problem of plastic in the world's oceans would not be fixed by consumers simply saying no to straws.

Drowning In Plastic comes a year after Sir David Attenborough's Blue Planet II, and investigates the effect plastic material is having on marine animals.

"When it comes to all single-use products, I just think if we can live without them, we should live without them," said Bonnin in an interview with the Radio Times.

"There is no kind of middle ground any more. So can we live without plastic bottles? Yes, we can."

The documentary will look at the dangers and struggles of wildlife in the ocean and the extent of the problem of our polluted seas.

Citing Costa Rica's ban on all single-use plastic by 2021, wildlife biologist Bonnin said the UK's slower action on plastic pollution was not good enough.

"I have to ask, why isn't the UK doing that?" she said.

"Some of our plastic is absolutely a valuable part of our society. The question there is, do we make up that plastic with less toxic chemicals? Also, can we make that plastic realistically recyclable?