M&S slaps 5p fee on plastic bags

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The charge is aimed at reducing demand for the bags, which campaigners say damage the environment.

The chain said money raised from the levy would be spent on improving parks and play areas across the country.

Around 13 billion plastic bags are given out free to UK shoppers every year and take 1,000 years to decay.

The move follows a trial at 50 stores in Northern Ireland and the South West of England which saw demand for polythene bags fall by more than 70%.

If that figure was replicated across the country, the move could reduce the number of bags used by 280 million each year, chief executive Sir Stuart Rose said.

Marks and Spencer will give all food customers free long-lasting bags from early April for one month. The 5p charge will begin on May 6.

Shoppers in Birmingham were cynical about the move, branding it a "rip off".

At Marks and Spencer Simply Food in Sutton Coldfield, Vera Claire, 69, said: "I think 5p a bag is too much. I can't go without the bags so I'll just have to pay."

Ray Hodges, 84, added: "It's a rip off. I don't think it is a good idea. If they want us to buy their food they ought to provide us with bags. A nominal fee of a couple of pence would be OK, and I understand where they are coming from, but in the end they will just make more money from us."