Microplastics have been found in samples of bottled water analysed from around the world as part of a major new study.

The microscopic plastic particles, which come from sources including cosmetics, clothing and industrial processes, were detected in almost all of the bottles of water tested by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Thought to be the largest study of its kind, scientists examined more than 250 bottles of water from 11 different brands from around the world and found "almost all were contaminated to some degree".

The brands Orb Media said it had tested were Aqua (Danone), Aquafina (PepsiCo), Bisleri (Bisleri International), Dasani (Coca-Cola), Epura (PepsiCo), Evian (Danone), Gerolsteiner (Gerolsteiner Brunnen), Minalba (Grupo Edson Queiroz), Nestlé Pure Life (Nestlé), San Pellegrino (Nestlé) and Wahaha (Hangzhou Wahaha Group).

Dr Andrew Mayes, who led the study, said: "We are becoming increasingly aware of microplastics in the environment and their potentially harmful effects, but their prevalence in other areas has been much less studied.

"They have been reported in tap water, beer and many other foods, but I think that people will be surprised that almost all bottled water appears to be contaminated too."

Dr Mayes and his team at UEA's School of Chemistry pioneered a new method of detecting the tiny bits of plastic that can be ingested and accumulate in the body.

He said that conventional methods would have been hugely time consuming and prohibitively expensive, although the new technique uses dye to rapidly screen for the particles.

The European Food Safety Authority has suggested most microplastics are excreted by the body, although the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has warned it's possible some particles could enter the bloodstream and organs.

The BBC said it contacted some of the brands whose bottled water was tested and most responded saying they stood by the quality and safety of their products.

Some said their own internal research found much lower particle counts or there are no regulations on microplastics or agreed methods for testing.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.