Cornwall's library service is going green by withdrawing plastic bags from all its libraries.

Historically the library service has supplied thousands of plastic bags a year to customers to enable them to carry their loans home from the library.

With concerns growing over the damage caused to the environment by single use plastic bags, however, it has decided to withdraw the bags and instead offer customers the opportunity to buy hessian bags.

The hessian bags have been specially designed with a distinctive graphic featuring a cheeky Cornish chough and the strap line - "Choughed with Libraries".

Chris Ramsey, head library service, is confident they will quickly become one of the most recognisable and desirable green' bags in Cornwall.

"We are sure that our customers will welcome this initiative and look forward to seeing our bags appearing all over the county in the coming weeks and months," he said.

To mark the change complimentary bags will be given to a number of environmental organisations which are currently working to remove plastic bags from their local communities.