SHOPS in Barnard Castle are bagging the chance to be more eco-friendly.

Twelve stores have volunteered to try out biodegradable cornstarch bags in an effort to reduce the number of plastic carriers in the town.

As part of the Barney Bag campaign, reusable bags will also be on sale in the town from next month.

“We are hoping that the Barney Bag campaign will be a great success in reducing the number of disposable bags distributed in the town, but realise that it would not be practical to eliminate disposable bags completely,” said Zak Ahmed, from Spice Island, one of the businesses taking part in the scheme.

“The cornstarch bag offers a more environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional plastic bag.”

Perry Hinton-Clifton, from The Orchard greengrocers, said: “If they do their job then we will look into stocking them in the future alongside our other reusable bags.”