Plants are growing in new areas around Mount Everest as rising temperatures melts ice on the Himalayas, according to a new report.

Increased vegetation coverage across the Himalayas could have consequences for water supply from the range on which some 1.4 billion people rely.

The study by the University of Exeter used Nasa satellite data to observe increased growth of shrubs and grasses between 1993 and 2018 across the entire Himalayan region.

It found a "small but significant" growth in plants in the subnival zone, above the treeline and below the snowline, across four height brackets.

Around Everest, the researchers observed increased plant growth across all height brackets from 4,150-6,000 metres above sea level. The top range is considered to be at the upper limit of where plants can grow.