Ocado worst for plastic bags as total single-use sales rise for first time

Ocado sold more plastic bags than any other supermarket, at 221m. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

Plastic bag sales have risen for the first time in 10 years on the back of the so-called Ocado effect as online food shops and ultra-fast deliveries replace supermarket trips.

Shoppers in England bought 437m single-use plastic carrier bags last year, compared with 407m the year before, a rise of 7%, according to data from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.