Supermarket chain Morrisons is starting trials which could see it ditch plastic bags for life.

From today (17th August) it will offer strong paper bags instead of reusable plastic ones in eight stores. If customers seem happy, it will roll them out to all of its 494 stores, as reported by the BBC.

The chain, which has stores across the county, says the paper bags can carry up to 16kg - the equivalent of 13 bottles of wine - just like their plastic counterparts.

Morrisons said there was evidence that customers are only using bags for life once before binning them. A full replacement of bags for life would save 90 million plastic bags a year, the equivalent of 3,510 tonnes of plastic.

Morrisons said it believes customers are ready to stop using plastic carrier bags and want to keep plastic out of the environment. The paper bags are described as a tough reusable alternatives for when customers forget to take their own reusable bags shopping.

Supermarkets began charging for plastic bags in England 2015. In 2014, 7.6 billion bags were handed out in England alone, around 140 per household a year. The number has since dropped by 80 per cent.