Microplastic pollution is present in some of Scotland's most remote and unspoilt waters, threatening seabirds and wildlife, a report has found.

The Greenpeace ship Beluga took samples at 27 locations in Scottish waters throughout 2017 in order to gather data on plastic pollution.

Analysis of the 49 samples at the University of Exeter found 31 contained microplastics.

The tiny pieces of plastic, which are too small to be seen with the naked eye, can harm sea life.

A report published on Wednesday detailed some of the most extensive research into plastic pollution around Scotland's coasts and islands.

Some of the samples were collected in key foraging areas and around internationally significant seabird colonies including Bass Rock and the Shiant Isles.

The islands are home to are the home to more than 20 seabird species including gannets, puffins, razorbills and shearwaters.

Tisha Brown, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: "Although microplastics were found in two out of three samples, this isn't all bad news.

"The concentrations are lower than in many other regions of the world's oceans, and hopefully Scottish marine life is at a proportionately lower risk than marine life in those areas.

"However, the results varied significantly in unpredictable ways, and so we would need longer-term testing to be confident of average concentrations.

"But the key finding here is that microplastics are present in some of Scotland's most remote and unspoilt waters.

"Threatened seabirds and other wildlife are already exposed to them, along with the fish stocks we eat, and there is currently no coherent process or even plan to stop this problem from getting worse."

Microplastics are defined as pieces of plastic measuring less than 5mm in any dimension and can carry a substantial concentration of chemical additives such as metals and flame retardants.