Oil claims many victims

"It is obvious that the costs to industries and services that have to deal with this pollution are substantially greater than previously understood.

"The polluter is simply not paying, and in some industries bad waste management is causing an economic burden to colleagues. This type of pollution is costing our society dearly."

As an instance of the threat it has identified, the report says that in 1998 the RNLI attended more than 200 incidents involving vessels with fouled propellors. Of these, 11% "were in life-threatening situations".

The report puts the cost of these rescues at �1m. It says floating debris such as oil filters and paint tins can spoil catches and damage nets, costing fishing vessels up to �2,000 per incident.

Blown onshore

Wildlife is often harmed by rubbish, with more than a million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles estimated to die annually from swallowing or becoming entangled in plastic litter.

The report says marine garbage can cause problems on land, when strong winds blow debris ashore, exposing farm animals to risk from entanglement or from eating rubbish.

Lives can be put at risk

Using Shetland as an example, the study says that if every farmer, salmon farmer and fisherman were affected by marine debris to the worst degree possible, the total annual cost could be more than �5m.

A more realistic figure, it says, is closer to �1m. But Shetland represents only a small fraction of the north European coastline.

The report concludes that existing pollution legislation is hard to enforce, and there are no incentives for polluters to clean up.

Bringing it home

It wants vessel operators and crews to improve the way they handle waste, so that less ends up in the sea.

And it adds: "Tourists seem more concerned about dog fouling than plastics on the beach.

"Only when marine debris actually starts to cost individuals money does the level of concern grow."