Card Factory removes handles from plastic bags to avoid 5p charge

Discount cards retailer skirts government charge by cutting off handles from single-use bags and giving them to customers free

Discount greetings cards retailer Card Factory has chopped the handles off thousands of its carrier bags as a way to sidestep the government's 5p bag tax.

From October, English shoppers have had to pay the charge for throwaway plastic carrier bags from large store chains under a scheme to protect the environment.