The extent of marine litter marring the River Tay in Perth and Kinross has been underlined in a revealing new report - with cigarettes named the biggest culprit.
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful’s findings also show that plastic wrappers and period products were among the most common items dumped.
The report, monitoring Tayside between 2021-22, was published as part of World Oceans Day on June 8.
Over the last three years the charity’s award-winning Upstream Battle campaign has supported local communities along the River Tay to gather evidence and raise awareness of the issue.
Data from litter surveys carried out on the banks of the Tay, including in Perth, Aberfeldy and its tributaries, counted over 3000 items of litter.
Cigarettes were top of the list of items found with plastic and foil wrappers also in the top 10.
The charity believes the increase in extra plastic packaging was heavily influenced by the pandemic lockdowns.
Sewage-related debris, including wet wipes and period products, are also “causing a huge problem”.
CEO at Keep Scotland Beautiful Barry Fisher said: “We know that 80 per cent of marine litter comes from land and that we need to tackle this problem upstream.
“Our stats also highlight that litter levels are on the rise and 88 per cent of people believe that litter is a problem nationally – this is unacceptable.
“If we want to get rid of marine litter in our seas and oceans we need to understand how, where and what types of litter are getting into our local waterways and this report really highlights the level of the problem on the Tay.
“The data gathered through litter surveys carried out by our volunteer groups, will help build a wider picture of the litter out there and its potential impact, allowing us to target the problem effectively.”
The charity added that nationwide marine litter is a “real crisis” with 80 per cent of the litter found at sea, endangering wildlife, damaging habitats and threatening human safety, starts life on land.
Keep Scotland Beautiful is supporting Scottish Water’s Nature Calls campaign, calling for a ban on wipes containing plastic and encouraging people to make sure they bin their wipes.
Scottish Water’s corporate affairs director Brian Lironi said: “We can all do more to prevent marine litter entering our water systems by stopping it at source to protect our environment and getting into the water cycle.
“Our work to encourage people to carry reusable bottles to reduce single-use plastic bottles and ask customers to bin wet wipes rather than flushing highlights simple steps we can all take in and around our homes and daily lives to reduce our impact on the planet.
“Behaviour changes combined with legislative steps like banning wet wipes which contain plastic can make a real difference.”
To get involved with the campaign and carry out a survey for Upstream Battle go to www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/upstream-battle
