The reusable bag is printed in the UK with organic ink

All 43 shops in Modbury joined the town-wide ban on 1 May and after a six-month trial it is becoming a permanent plastic bag-free zone.

Instead shoppers are asked to buy 100% biodegradable alternatives made from corn starch, canvas, paper or cotton.

A number of towns around the country have followed suit.

The Modbury initiative was started after a local resident saw the damage plastic can cause marine life.

Rebecca Hosking, who works as a wildlife camerawoman, said she had been inundated with calls from around the world including Australia, Russia and America following Modbury's ban.

Modbury's bags are offered at cost price of �1.50 for a small bag and �3.95 for a large bag.

The reusable bags are imported from a small factory in Mumbai and printed in the UK using water-based organic ink.

The town also has "amnesty" points for people to recycle their old plastic bags.