Image: Rex Features via AP Images/Associated Press  LONDON — Large numbers of fish in the river Thames have been discovered with plastic inside their guts.  Researchers from Royal Holloway examined two types of fish in the city's waters, the common flounder and the smelt, and found that up to 75% of the flounder were affected, with 20% of the smelt also containing fibres.  The news comes as the Port of London Authority (PLA) launches a campaign to make people aware of the ways plastic and other debris can make its way into the city's waterways and beyond.  Some 300 tonnes of rubbish is recovered from the river every year, they say, with the amount of plastics, particularly plastic bottles, growing year on year.  It's not just things tossed into the Thames from the banks, either; trash can make its way there from anywhere in London, according to the authority's environment manager Tanya Ferry.  "You might discard plastic near Buckingham Palace or Selfridges but if it gets into the drains, those drains could potentially discharge into the Thames and carry those plastic pieces with them," she said.  The campaign is backed by the Thames21 waterways charity, as well as the Environment Agency, Thames Tideway Tunnel, the RSPB and the London Wildlife Trust.  Thames21's CEO Debbie Leach said that plastic is increasingly prevalent among the debris they find when they clean out the river. "In the early days, it was a huge mixture of stuff - metalwork, old fridges and supermarket trolleys," she said.  "We've dealt largely with these bigger items, and now what we find is that it is the plastic that keeps coming back - water bottles, carrier bags and, amazingly, cotton wool buds. We find millions of the plastic sticks all over the foreshore."  The PLA will be releasing a series of videos until next year's Thames Festival.  Larger retailers in England will have to start charging 5 pence for plastic bags from Monday, Oct. 5, in an attempt to reduce waste.  Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Several types of fish have been discovered to have plastic in their guts in the river Thames and authorities are encouraging people to avoid littering.