Shoppers take supermarket trolleys home to avoid 5p plastic bag charge

The easiest way to avoid the charge is for shoppers to take their own bags

The government is hoping that the charge will cut carrier usage by 50 to 80 per cent on the high street (Philippe Lissac/Godong/Corbis)

Supermarket shoppers in parts of the UK have been sharing a new way of avoiding the 5p charge for plastic bags: by stealing the trolley instead.

The change brings England in line with the rest of the UK, where a small charge already applies. In Wales, plastic bag use fell by 79 per cent in the first thre years of the charge. There were fears that the scheme might not be as successful in England because smaller bags and paper bag are not included.

But the stubbornness of the Brits – stealing trolleys instead of handing over small change – could be another reason the scheme fails.

On Twitter user, Paul Griffiths, posted a picture of a shopped trolley in his living room, full of a multipack of crisps and bread rolls. “5p for a bag quid for a trolley #NoBrainer #Needed6Bags,” he said.

He could have avoided the charge another way. Shops in airports, or on board trains, aeroplanes or ships, and shops with fewer than 250 employees company-wide are exempt from the charges. Supermarkets are also obliged to hand over bags for unwrapped food, raw meat and fish, where there is a food safety risk. Prescription medicines, uncovered blades, seeds, bulbs and flowers are also exempt.

The easiest way to avoid the charge is for shoppers to take their own bags, which is why the scheme was brought in in the first place. The government is hoping that the charge will cut carrier usage by 50 to 80 per cent on the high street.

After public outcry, Paul Griffiths tweeted to say he had returned the trolley. “The trolley is back where it belongs,” Griffiths said. No news on whether the other stolen trolleys on Twitter have been returned.