Telegraph: In England, the only member of the UK not to have a levy, 7 billion 'single-use' bags were given out to shoppers, up 4.4 per cent on 2011.
In Wales, where a 5p levy was introduced in 2011, bag usage has plunged 76 per cent.
There were also increases in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The total of nearly 8.1 billion bags across the UK is up 1.3 per cent on 2011.
Experts put the rise down to the growth in "top-up" shopping at convenience stores such as Tesco Express and Simply Food, as well...