ENVIRONMENTAL group Turn Lyme Green (TLG) has this week spoken of its disappointment at the large number of plastic carrier bags Tesco is distributing.

TLG last year declared the town ‘plastic bag-free’ after a long campaign to encourage residents and visitors to go without a bag or bring their own when they shop in the town.

Since opening two weeks ago, many residents have commented on the high number of Tesco bags seen around the town.

TLG chairman Mark Jenkin said: “Turn Lyme Green is somewhat disappointed that the new Tesco store is issuing a large number of plastic carrier bags to their customers, without thinking about the consequences, and without regard for the huge efforts made by local people over the past 18 months to reduce bag use in the town to almost zero.”

Tesco’s corporate affairs manager Juliette Bishop said it comes down to demand, with many shoppers in Lyme Regis asking for a plastic bag.

She said: “I was quite surprised how many we gave out on opening day considering Lyme Regis is supposed to be a carrier bag-free community. Obviously not everyone has bought into it.”

Ms Bishop said the supermarket last year welcomed the Government’s new targets to halve the number of bags issued by this spring. She added: “We were the first retailer to set our own reduction targets on carrier bags more than two years ago and since that time we have saved more than three billion bags.

“These savings have been brought about through incentives and rewards for customers who reuse their bags.”

She said Tesco also introduced Green Clubcard Points in 2006, a scheme which rewards customers for reusing bags by giving points for every carrier saved.

Ms Bishop said: “In Lyme Regis, like all Tesco stores, we have removed carrier bags from all our tills and staff now remind customers to reuse bags and only offer single use plastic bags to those customers who need them.

“Our staff at the Lyme Regis Tesco Express are enthusiastic about the community’s ‘bag free’ campaign and want to do their bit to support the initiative. We hope that more customers will take part and reuse bags.”

TLG chairman Mr Jenkin said as Tesco was made aware of Lyme’s status at a meeting last November, the group views this as ‘teething troubles’ and are meeting with the local management to find a solution.

“Lyme’s beaches still suffer from plastic litter, and I am sure that Tesco – who have a stated policy about ‘green stores’ – have no wish to add to it,” added Mr Jenkin.