Price of single-use plastic bags in England to double to 10p

Exemption for smaller shops to end, and campaigners say bags for life' are next target

The government is to double the charge for single-use plastic carrier bags in England from 5p to 10p and end the exemption for smaller shops from April 2021, as it steps up efforts to tackle plastic pollution.

Since the introduction of the charge in October 2015, shoppers have used billions fewer thin-gauge plastic shopping bags.