Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed.

It is not yet reported when the ban will come into effect, but it follows similar moves already made by Scotland and Wales.

Government figures suggest that 1.1 billion single use plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used in England every year.

The confirmation of the move from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) follows a long consultation, which will be published on Saturday 14 January.

Each person in England uses an average of 18 single-use plastic plates and 37 items of plastic cutlery every year, according to Defra, while just ten per cent of those are recycled.