An estimated 30 per cent drop in the number of plastic bags littering seabeds around Britain has been connected to the introduction of charges for plastic bags across Europe

A significant drop in the plastic bags being found in the seas around Britain has been linked to the introduction of charges for plastic bags in Britain and Europe.

Scientists have announced an estimated 30 per cent reduction in plastic bags on seabeds in an area they studied – a patch stretching from the Norwegian and German coasts, to northern France and west to Ireland.

Ireland and Denmark introduced levies for plastic bags in shops in 2003, and a host of other European countries followed suit. England introduced a charge in…