A high street chain is avoiding the 5p plastic bag charge by offering handless carriers to customers free of charge.
Discount store the Card Factory said it has found a loophole in the tax on plastic bags which was introduced by the government across England in October.
A spokesman told the plastics trade journal PRW: "The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed that not charging for bags without handles complies with the regulations as they stand.”
The tax was introduced in a bid to discourage shoppers from needlessly using plastic bags and protect the environment.
It means major retailers have to pass money made from the tax to charities.
Tesco has reported a 78 per cent fall in single-use bags in England since the levy was introduced.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shops proper stingin on these bags, Card Factory's ent even got handles, which to me is more like a sack, not a bag. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://t.co/mN4pn6hKSw" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3168301-https://t.co/mN4pn6hKSw" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/mN4pn6hKSw</a> — april (@apriltheband) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/apriltheband/status/666266207713165312" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3168301-https://twitter.com/apriltheband/status/666266207713165312" data-vars-event-id="c23">November 16, 2015</a>
It is understood that the Card Factory still offers some bags with handles for a 5p charge, but offers shoppers a free alternative.
