Carrier bags are the new North-South divide, according to supermarket giant Asda.
It claims shoppers in the South-west of England have cut their reliance on single-use carrier bags by more than 40% over the past three weeks.
Shoppers in the North fared less well.
Liverpudlians cut their plastic bag usage by just 8.8%, while those in the North-east of England managed an only slightly more impressive 12.7%.
The figures come after Asda removed plastic bags from the end of checkouts at the start of this month (June).
Shoppers now have to ask the checkout operator if they want single-use carrier bags.
Since the start of the initiative, Asda says it has seen an average 25% reduction in carrier bag usage across the country.
Sales of its 5p “bags for life” hit a record 3.8 million over the past three weeks – 50% more than in the whole of 2007.
