Dr Deo Onda recently visited the third deepest spot on Earth, Emden Deep in the Philippine Trench, with undersea explorer Victor Vescovo – becoming the first people to dive to the bottom.

When they got there, they were shocked to find various reminders of life on dry land, including ‘a lot of plastics’ and even a cuddly toy.

Speaking to Channel News Asia, Onda – who is an oceanographer from the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute – said: “There was a lot of garbage in the trench.

“There were a lot of plastics, a pair of pants, a shirt, a teddy bear, packaging and a lot of plastic bags.

“Even me, I did not expect that, and I do research on plastics.”