The Leader of Liverpool City Council is calling on businesses across the city to follow in the green footsteps of Marks and Spencer.

The company has announced that from May 6 they will be charging 5p for food carrier bags to encourage shoppers to re-use old ones.

Lib Dem Councillor Warren Bradley said: "Retailers give out a staggering 97 million bags a year to Liverpool shoppers.  They take around 1,000 years to decay and are one of the worst culprits for damaging the environment.

"I am calling on every business in the city to follow the example of Marks and Spencer and charge people for carrier bags as this will encourage everyone to recycle more.

"And of course I'll be looking to introduce the same policy throughout the council at venues such as the 08 Place and St. George's Hall.

"We won't be able to use landfill sites forever, so this proposal will make sure everyone does their bit to help save the environment."

An estimated 13 billion free plastic bags are given out by all retailers to UK shoppers every year.  

In Liverpool, for every man, woman and child in the city 97 million carrier bags are used a year, that works out at 216 bags per person. 

John Turner, manager of Church Street's Marks and Spencer store, said: "We expect the announcement to make a real difference.  Our customers are more aware than ever of the social and environmental issues facing them and this initiative allows them to become involved.  All the profits generated from the charge will go to Groundwork - an environmental charity who work in creating greener living spaces such as parks, play areas and gardens.

"The initial response from our customers has been overwhelmingly positive and we would join the leader of the city council to encourage other businesses to take similar steps."