Morrisons in Largs will be the first supermarket chain to offer paper bags amid growing evidence that the carrier bag tax is not preventing the tide of plastic waste.

The Irvine Road store will start selling the reusable paper bags, which can carry up to 16kg (35lb), for 20p each, the same price as the standard plastic carrier bag.

The scheme will take 1,300 tonnes of plastic out of the environment each year, a spokesman for the store said.

He added: " "We are taking another meaningful step that will remove an estimated 1,300 tonnes of plastic out of the environment each year.

"Our customers have told us that reducing plastic is their number one environmental concern so introducing the paper bag across the nation will provide another way of reducing the plastic in their lives."