http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1717476.ece From The Times April 28, 2007 Modbury (pop 1,553) is first to ban plastic bags Valerie Elliott and Lewis Smith The town of Modbury in Devon has boasted little of historical impact since the days of Oliver Cromwell, but today will become the first place in Britain to outlaw the plastic bag. Every trader has agreed to use environmentally friendly alternatives. The move was announced on the day that the leading supermarkets said that they hoped to phase out giveaway plastic bags within two years. Some 13 billion plastic bags a year are given away in Britain, of which eight billion end up in landfill. Others get blown away and end up in the sea. The traders of Modbury (pop 1,553) hope that their move will serve as a blueprint for the rest of the country. Customers will be allowed to bring their own plastic bags to reuse, but if they want a new bag they will have to buy one. A range of bags made of recycled cotton with organic an