Borough Market to become Britain's first to ban plastic bottles

Borough Market is to become the first street market in Britain to ban the sale of disposable plastic drinks bottles in an effort to reduce ocean pollution.

The foodie hotspot today unveiled three drinking fountains which it hopes will encourage customers to bring their own refillable containers.

In six months’ time it will phase out the sale of single-use bottles across all 114 stalls as part of a drive to cut litter and become Britain’s greenest shopping destination.

Managing director Darren Henaghan said he hoped the move would inspire other retailers.

He said: “It’s great people are aware of the benefits of keeping hydrated, but we’ve been troubled to see increasing numbers of plastic bottles used every day.

“By using the new water fountains our visitors will be able to refill and refresh without having to buy a plastic bottle each time.

“We’re proud to take this significant step forward as part of our ongoing commitment to making Borough Market Britain’s greenest place to shop and hope that others will follow suit.”

More than 38 million plastic bottles are bought in the United Kingdom daily but only half are recycled.

Scientists have warned that there will be 1kg of plastic for every 3kg of fish in our oceans within the next decade.

Selfridges and London Zoo stopped selling single-use water bottles last year while Westminster city council is considering installing 50 drinking fountains in central London.