SUPERMARKETS will have to tell the Government how they are spending cash generated from selling carrier bags for 5p.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issued a statement on Friday aimed at clarifying confusion over the new law, which came into force on October 5.

Large shops and supermarkets must now charge customers 5p for every single-use plastic carrier bag, with some exceptions.

Clarifying the scheme, a Government spokesman said: "The scheme aims to reduce the use of single-use plastic carrier bags, and the litter associated with them, by encouraging people to re-use bags.

"In 2014, over 7.6 billion single-use plastic bags were given to customers by major supermarkets in England. "That’s something like 140 bags per person, equivalent to 61,000 tonnes in total.

"They take longer than other bags to degrade in the environment, can damage wildlife, and are extremely visible when littered in our towns, parks and the countryside.

"Despite research showing that the average household already has 40 plastic bags around the home, the number of plastic bags taken from supermarkets increased for the fifth year running in 2014.

"We expect to see a significant reduction in the use of single-use plastic carrier bags as a direct result of the charge - by as much as 80 per cent in supermarkets and 50 per cent on the high street.

"Similar 5p charges are already in place across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The scheme in Wales saw a reduction in plastic bag consumption of 79 per cent in its first three years.

"We estimate that over the next 10 years the benefits of the scheme will include an expected overall benefit of over £780 million to the UK economy, up to £730 million raised for good causes, £60 million savings in litter clean-up costs and carbon savings of £13 million.

"This is not a tax and the money from the charge does not go to the Government.

"We expect retailers to donate the proceeds of the scheme to good causes, but it is for them to choose what to do, and which causes to support.

"Retailers will need to report to us about what they do with the money from the charge, and we will publish this information each year.

"The charge in Wales has already generated millions of pounds for good causes."