Medway Council last night agreed to become a single use plastic free authority.

The motion to phase out the use of plastic bottles and straws, which was set forward by Cllr Andy Stamp, originally aimed to have this done within a six-month time frame, but an amendment by Cllr Jane Chitty was passed which suggested that time-frame was not practical.

It is now vague about when SUPs will be scrapped, but the council vowed to do it 'as soon as is reasonably practical'.

Single use plastics include plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, drinks bottles and most food packaging.

Cllr Andy Stamp, Labour Spokesman for Regeneration, Culture and Transport, said: "I'm pleased the motion has broadly been accepted and the Council has agreed to become single use plastic free.

"Clearly now the task at hand is to make sure we keep the pressure on the Council to implement this as soon as possible and they stick to their word so we can make a difference and we can lead by example.

"I'll be in regular contact with Council staff to make sure they're working on this and make sure we can overcome potential obstacles and start to deliver that plastic-free council and make sure we're adopting alternatives where possible."

Cllr Stamp cited estimates that by 2050 there will be as much plastic in our oceans as fish.

Nine million tonnes of plastic is estimated to enter our oceans and seas each year, of which a huge proportion is single use plastics.

The move comes as Faversham announced a Say No to Throwaway Plastic week.

In 2015, the Government introduced the plastic bag levy - putting a 5p price on plastic bags and subsequently seeing bag use drop by 85%.