Moss, which opened at 9 Cornwall Place on Tuesday, sells plants, flowers and garden-related items and has created the store's carrier bags out of newspaper.

The bags will be used for most items sold at the shop in a bid to help cut down on the amount of plastic bags being used around town.

Amanda Thirlby, who runs Moss, will be holding a workshop tomorrow, Saturday, outside her shop, near Waitrose, to show people how they can make their own bags.

She said: "I had already seen recycled paper bags and thought about using them for my shop, but they are often imported.

"Using imported bags seemed ridiculous so I thought I would have a go at making them myself. The bags are pretty strong and I can use them for most things."

She added the bags could be created out of any type of newspaper, but tabloid-sized newspapers, such as the Advertiser and Review, were ideal.

Mrs Thirlby, who has a background in garden design, used to run a similar shop in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, called Earth, and she has now branched out into selling flowers after studying for a qualification in floristry.

She and husband, Peter, have three children, Jade, 23, Natasha, 22, and Rowan, 11.