Tesco has doubled the cost of its plastic bags, leaving shoppers feeling annoyed.

The supermarket has followed the lead of Asda and Sainsbury's by hiking the cost of its plastic bags from 10p to 20p.

A Tesco spokesperson said they want to encourage customers to reuse their bags and cut down on unnecessary plastic.

They added: "We increased the price of our Bag for Life to 20p to further incentivise customers to bring a bag with them when they come shopping.”

But some customers are not pleased with the cost increase.

One Twitter user said: “Right since when have Tesco’s bag for life been 20p. That’s ridiculous.”

Another added: “Tesco’s bags are 20p. Be great idea to start investing in stocks.”

A third suggested: “Why not provide normal lightweight bags? I’m not paying 20p… they are not bags for ‘life’.”

However, Christina Dixon, senior ocean campaigner, for the Environmental Investigation Agency, believes the hike is a step in the right direction.

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She said: "Bags for life contain three times as much plastic as a single-use carrier, and have a worst environmental impact if they aren’t used ‘for life’, as the name suggests.

"As we’ve highlighted in our report, Checking Out on Plastics, increasing the price of bags for life has been shown to increase their useful lifespan and encourage customers to bring their own bags.

"Our research clearly shows that people have had enough of single-use and unnecessary plastic in their lives and that they are willing to make lifestyle changes to reduce waste.

"We welcome Tesco’s step to cut down on bags for life, and encourage other companies to look at increasing the price of bags for life – or ending their sale altogether. Our recommendation is selling bags for at least 70p to truly drive the behaviour change we need to protect our environment.”