UK scientists have identified the highest levels of microplastics ever recorded on the seafloor.

The contamination was found in sediments pulled up from the bottom of the Mediterranean, off Italy.

The analysis, led from the University of Manchester, counted up to 1.9 million plastic pieces per square metre.

It is some of the first insight into the fate of the 10 million tonnes of plastic waste estimated to enter the ocean every year.

Digital video by Victoria Gill and David Cheeseman

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