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The most plastic-polluted riverbed in the UK

Raw sewage that scientists say is “laced with microplastic” is being released into UK rivers routinely, according to a study by scientists at the University of Manchester.

The researchers found that one site on the River Tame in Greater Manchester was the most plastic-polluted riverbed in the UK.

Read more: Wastewater is 'polluting rivers with microplastic'

14 May 2021

Plastic pollution

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Gareth Lewis

What has 25 years of devolution given us?

Businesses are swapping plastic forks for wooden ones and polystyrene trays for corn starch ones

Plastic's had its chips as takeaway ban begins

The Poppy Scotland appeal this year will have a new addition - a paper poppy.

New Scottish poppy gets rid of plastic

Ogmore clean up

Volunteers remove 2,000 tyres from riverbed

Bubbles in murky water

How bubbles stop plastic getting into the sea

Science & Environment

Natural Resources Wales collects data to predict when floods may occur and issue alerts if necessary amid growing evidence climate change is impacting Wales.

How to predict floods amid climate change

Recycling plant on fire in Indiana

Toxic fire from US recycling plant could burn for days

The team of rowers collecting microplastic data.

Rowers find record levels of ocean microplastics

Hampshire & Isle of Wight

The Canal and River Trust

Volunteer push to keep London's canals clean

Person sitting at table covered in plastic waste.

Decades-old plastics pulled from the sea

Billie is hoping that her petition helps to reduce single-use plastic used on loose fruit and vegetables.

'I'm working hard to reduce single-use plastic'

Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Plastic waste along Drina River

Video shows scenic Balkan river filled with waste

Turtle in a net

The man who first discovered plastic in the ocean

Picture of floating chinampas

Turning plastic bottles into floating gardens

Seal and fishing net

Fishing nets being recycled to help save the sea

Science & Environment

Carly Griffin

What do traders think of single-use plastics ban?

Holywell Bay

Rubbish found buried on Cornish beach

Llwyn-Onn reservoir

Heatwave dries rivers and reservoirs across Wales

Turtle in sea with bottle

How much plastic 'recycling' is actually recycled?

Science & Environment

A woman and two men in an ocean rowing boat

Round-Britain rowers to collect pollution data

Hampshire & Isle of Wight

People in high-vis jackets walk next to a car submerged in floods on the left of a split screen with a snowy road on the right

Atmospheric river dumps snow and record rain on California

The weather event has multiplied damages from the 'bomb cyclone' seen in the US north-west earlier this week.

Science & Environment

A man walks in front of an uprooted tree, the roots of which tower over him

Fallen trees cause widespread damage after bomb cyclone

Two people died in the storm that hit the West coast of the US and Canada overnight.

Science & Environment

A yellow alert for high winds gusting up to 60 mph (97km/h) covers the whole of Scotland

Weather forecast ahead of Storm Ashley

A yellow alert for high winds gusting up to 60 mph (97km/h) covers the whole of Scotland.

Science & Environment

The Hunter's supermoon is seen shining brightly between two buildings, as the moon shines through London's skyline on 17 OCtober

Stargazers around the world catch supermoon

The brightness of the moon would allow ancient communities to increase hunting at this time of year - hence the name.

Science & Environment

SpaceX's Super Heavy booster fires out of its exhaust at the bottom of the rocket itself while it lands into the rocket launcher holder that it fired out of, during SpaceX Starship's fifth flight test, in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S., October 13, 2024

Watch: Why is the latest SpaceX rocket test a big deal?

The BBC's Pallab Ghosh explores why this world first test is a big deal for space exploration.

Science & Environment

SpaceX Starship booster caught in mid air

Watch astonishing moment Starship booster caught in mid-air 'chopsticks manoeuvre'

It’s the first time the "chopsticks manoeuvre" has been attempted, with previous boosters landing in the ocean.

Science & Environment

Split screen showing weather presenter giving remote update and Hurricane Milton satellite image

Meteorologist becomes emotional giving Hurricane Milton update

The weather system has rapidly intensified into a category five storm with winds of up to 175mph (281km/h).

Science & Environment

Suni Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore grin as they float aboard the International Space Station

'Space is my happy place,' says stranded astronaut

Suni Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore gave an update from the ISS on their extended stay in space.

Science & Environment

Sarah Gillis emerges from a capsule into dark space

Watch: Key moments from first non-professional spacewalk

Isaacman said the Earth looked like a "perfect world" as he stepped out into space for the first time.

Science & Environment

Bow of Titanic missing section of railing

Video shows Titanic missing large section of railing

The discovery was made during a series of dives by underwater robots this summer.

Science & Environment

A video grab shows the northern lights (Aurora Borealis) flickering over the earth's surface with the moon setting in the background, and parts of the Internation Space Station (ISS) visible in the foreground. The Earth's curvature can be seen as it rotates

Watch: The Northern Lights seen from space

A timelapse captured from the International Space Station shows the Moon setting into streams of aurora.

Science & Environment

Pink and green Northern Lights hang in the sky above a car in a field

Timelapse shows Northern Lights glowing above Wisconsin

The footage reveals the light show that concurred with the Perseid meteor shower earlier this week.

Science & Environment

The Titan Arum plant took 12 years before it successfully flowered in the venue's Glasshouse in 2015.

Rare 'corpse flower' blooms in botanical gardens

The Titan Arum plant produces a stench that has been compared to decaying flesh or smelly socks.

Science & Environment

Column of fire after rocket sets off from launch pad

Moment Ariane-6 rocket blasts into space on first flight

The vehicle set off from a launchpad in French Guiana on a demonstration mission.

Science & Environment

High winds and waves on coast

High winds and heavy rain as Caribbean hit by hurricane

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall with floods in Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.

Science & Environment

Humpback whale's tail

Why scientists are using a crossbow to study whales

Researchers use the device to take remote biopsies from wild humpback whales to monitor their health.

Science & Environment

Female duck and chicks

Duckling family march to safety at Hardwick Hall

The annual duck march has been a tradition at Sedgefield’s Hardwick Hall Hotel for the past 24 years.

Science & Environment

Mountain lion in Los Angeles

Video captures new mountain lion spotted in Hollywood

While the giant cats are native to California, it is rare for them to make their way into the city of Los Angeles.

Science & Environment

Sea lion on row boat

Malnourished sea lion jumps into rowing boat

The animal stayed in the boat for over 15 minutes and was later taken to get medical care.

Science & Environment

Squid attacking camera

Rare footage shows deep-sea squid attacking camera

Watch video of the super-fast Dana squid getting a close-up 1km below the Pacific Ocean's surface.

Science & Environment