Shocking photos expose the scale of plastic waste pollution in London's River Thames

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Alexandra Richards11 January 2018

The shocking extent of pollution in the River Thames has been laid bare in a series of images showing plastic washed up on the shore.

The photographs were taken by Getty Images photographer Dan Kitwood during a walk along beach in Rainham, Kent in early January.

Mr Kitwood's photos were taken before Theresa May's speech on Thursday where she pledged to eradicate avoidable plastic waste by 2042.

The images showed debris such as plastic toys and water bottles that had ended up in the ocean.

Child's toy washed up on beach
Getty Images

Several traffic cones were among the washed up wreckage alongside smaller bits of plastic which had been worn down over time.

Washed up traffic cone
Getty Images

One of the more striking photos in the collection showed a plastic pink bear among seaweed.

The photos showed a number of every day items such as tampon applicators and sweet wrappers which had not been broken down in the water.

Pink bear among the wreckage
Getty Images

In her speech, Prime Minister Theresa May described the damage that our actions have had in the past and the current problems we face due to pollution.

"In the UK alone, the amount of single-use plastic wasted every year would fill 1,000 Royal Albert Halls" Mrs May said.

“We look back in horror at some of the damage done to our environment in the past and wonder how anyone could have thought that, for example, dumping toxic chemicals, untreated, into rivers was ever the right thing to do," she told an audience in west London.

Mrs May continued: “In years to come, I think people will be shocked at how today we allow so much plastic to be produced needlessly. This truly is one of the great environmental scourges of our time”.

She went on to outline plans to eliminate plastic in supermarket aisles and put forward a new policy to tax take away containers.

Mr Kitwood's shocking images outlined the extent of the pollution problem that Mrs May referred to.

Plastic damages wildlife and habitats, washing into the ocean, killing sea birds, mammals and turtles which get tangled in waste and causing harm to marine species which swallow it as food.

Mrs May pledged that the UK will show global leadership on the issue taking action at every stage of the production and consumption of plastic.

The Government will use aid money to help developing countries tackle pollution and reduce plastic waste, increase marine protected areas in the UK and establish a protected "blue belt" in Overseas Territories.

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