Shoppers will be forced to pay 5p for every plastic bag they take from the supermarket from next month, in a move that has been slammed as a "shopping tax".

According to pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA), the fee will dent household budgets by an extra £67, as millions forget to carry several bags with them.

From October 5, all retailers in the county employing 250 or more employees will have to charge five pence for single-use plastic carrier bags.

Retailers will then be expected to donate the proceeds of the scheme to good causes of their choice.

Chief executive of TPA Jonathan Isaby said: “This plastic bag charge is to all intents and purposes a shopping tax which will add more to the cost of living for families.

“Politicians rightly identify the cost of living as a huge concern to people, yet seem oblivious to the irony that their own actions are adding to the burden.”

The TPA said plastic bags made up less than 2 per cent of household waste and added there would be “minimal benefits for the environment”.

Shoppers in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland already pay 5p a go if they don’t take their own bags.

Richard Thake, head of community safety and waste management at Hertfordshire County Council, said the council welcomed the move to reduce the numbers of bags given out.

He said: “Discarded bags can be a hazard to wildlife, and many end up as litter in our towns, parks and the countryside.

“In 2014 over 7.6 billion bags were provided by major supermarkets in England. That’s around 140 bags per person. We now expect to see a significant reduction; by as much as 80 per cent in supermarkets and 50 per cent on the high street.”

What do you think of the new law? Leave a comment below or email charlotte.ikonen@london.newsquest.co.uk.