DEVON shoppers will undergo radical "plastic surgery" thanks to a series of 'Don't let Devon go to waste' roadshows next week aimed at reducing the use of plastic bags.

A team of green surgeons will be on hand at supermarkets across the county to transplant shopping from disposable plastic bags into sturdy cotton bags which can be used again and again.

The roadshow is part of a county-wide drive which focuses on waste reduction, and encourages shoppers to avoid excess packaging whenever possible.

The campaign includes a TV advert starring comedian Rik Mayall as a futuristic plastic surgeon who removes a shopper's plastic bags and re-packages the contents in reusable cotton bags.

The surgeons will be visiting Tesco at Exe Vale, Exeter, on Friday, November 9, from 10am-12.30pm and Tesco in Transit Way, Plymouth, from 1.30pm-4pm.

On Saturday, November 10, they will be at Tesco in Tiverton from 10am-12.30pm and Tesco in Exmouth from 1.30pm-4pm.

Cllr Margaret Rogers, Devon County Council's executive member for environment, said: "In Devon over 200 million plastic bags are sent to landfill every year which can take 500 years to degrade.

"Plastic bags often end up littering our cities and countryside which is unsightly and can cause serious harm to wildlife, so getting into the habit of shopping with reusable bags is an easy step to really improving our local environment."

For further information on waste reduction, recycling or composting visit www.recycledevon.org or call 0845-4502477.