A turtle is recovering after a 30cm long piece of plastic pollution was taken out of its intestines.

The marine creature was found struggling to walk after being washed ashore in Rayong, eastern Thailand, on May 10.

Locals contacted the rescue service who tool the green sea turtle to the Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Centre.

Footage shows a veterinarian slowly pulling the thin plastic bag out of the creature's bottom. The plastic was 30 centimetres long and had been affecting the turtle's digestion, causing it to become constipated.

The veterinarian said the extraneous rubbish stuck inside the turtle would have eventually caused it to die had it not been removed.

He said: "The plastic garbage that people throw out washes into the seas, where it becomes highly dangerous for the animals. They eat the the plastic without knowing that it is not edible then it slowly kills them.''

The turtle is being nursed back to health and rehabilitated before staff release it back into the ocean.