A GARDEN centre in Esher has donated more than £1,500 to the Marine Conservation Society through a voluntary 5p charge on plastic bags.

Money raised from the plastic bag sales, which Garsons and its sister site in Titchfield in Hampshire are not legally required to charge for, will go towards the Marine Conservation Society, a UK charity that works to look after our seas, shores and wildlife.

The society is particularly concerned with plastic bags ending up in our oceans as they represent a “huge danger” to marine life, with animals like turtles often mistaking plastic bags for jellyfish, then trying to eat them.

The bags cause their digestive systems to block up, eventually leading to their death.

The 5p charge for single-use plastic bags came into force in England in October, which has since seen a 2.7 billion decrease in bags used in the last six months.

Between October 2015 and March this year, £1,566.80 was raised at Garsons through the charge.

Garsons director Ben Thompson said despite only businesses with more than 250 employees being legally required to charge for the bags, staff at the garden centre want to encourage shoppers to use reusable and sustainable bags.

He said: “We are very conscious of the ecological impact our business has on the environment, and we try to protect it any way we can.

“Plastic bags are a huge problem in our seas, which is why the money we’re raising through our bag charge is going to the Marine Conservation Society.

“The charity has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of the devastating effects discarded plastic bags have on marine life, and we’re proud to support them in their work.”