Campaigners from Bury St Edmunds have found that 98% of Suffolk shoppers are in favour of a reduction of plastic wrapping and nets on fruit and vegetables sold in supermarkets.

Plastic Free Bury St Edmunds campaigners surveyed 185 customers over an hour and a half at Tesco in Bury St Edmunds earlier this month.

They found that 98% of the people questioned on October 5 were in favour of reducing plastic wrapping and nets on fruit and vegetables sold in supermarkets.

Richard Winch, from the Plastic Free Bury St Edmunds group, said: “Plastic stays in the environment for hundreds of years.

"It is a threat to wildlife and releases toxins especially when it gets hot. The cost of manufacturing and disposing of unnecessary plastic is a huge waste of resources.

"We are trying to focus on removing plastic that we can easily do without such as much of what is used for wrapping fruit and vegetables.”

Coordinator for the event, Philip Broadbent-Yale said: “An overwhelming number of Tesco customers are asking for plastic wrapping to be removed from fruit and vegetables sold in the store.

"We feel strongly that with climate change, whilst recycling is good, it would be much better for us all if we didn’t use unnecessary wrapping.

"If we wish to protect the environment, we must make a change and stop using plastic wrapping in the first place."

Tesco shopper Fran Martin added: "My family and I are concerned about global warming. I do like to buy my fruit and veg loose, rather than it being wrapped in plastic."

The group aim to conduct further surveys at other stores before taking the results to the government.