WATER samples from one of Scotland’s most famous waterways will be used as part of an investigation into plastic pollution around the UK.

Global charity Greenpeace was in Glasgow yesterday to collect samples from the River Clyde.

Volunteers joined scientists to take water from using a manta net filtering device. These will be analysed by a cutting-edge infrared plastic detector at Exeter University and compared with samples taken from other major rivers across the UK.

The process will test the level of microplastics and the Clyde is the only Scottish site included. The results will be reported later this year.

The organisation wants MPS at Westminster to set specific targets for reducing the amount of single-use plastic being made.

Fiona Nicholls, plastics campaigner with Greenpeace UK, said: “More frightening facts seem to emerge about plastic pollution every month.

“It’s in our water, our food, the air, it’s polluting the most remote parts of our planet. But the scariest fact is that if we carry on with business as usual plastic production is set to quadruple by 2050.

“It’s clear our rivers and oceans simply can’t stomach this.”

Kirsten Thompson, ecology lecturer at Exeter University, said: “There are a lot of studies showing how much plastic is in our seas and oceans, but very few so far investigating the amounts and types of plastics, especially microplastics, carried along by our rivers.

“Documentaries like Blue Planet have shown us just how detrimental plastic pollution is to marine wildlife, but we hope that our research on rivers in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England will help uncover exactly where this plastic is coming from and the impact that plastic pollution may be having closer to home.”

A UK Government spokeswoman said: “As the custodians of our planet, we must take action now to protect the ocean and wildlife from plastic pollution.

“Through our 25 Year Environment Plan, we have committed to eliminating avoidable plastic waste, but we have been clear we will go further and faster where we can.

“We committed in our world-leading Resources and Waste Strategy to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, in advance of comparable

international targets.

“Draft clauses for the Environment Bill establish a new, independent environment body, create a statutory framework for environmental principles, and put our flagship 25 Year Environment Plan into law.”