THE government's new 25-year plan to cut plastic use in the UK is sorely lacking on detail, one of Oxfordshire's European parliament representatives has said.

Keith Taylor also said the long-delayed Environment Plan announced by Michael Gove yesterday was only fulfilling legal European obligations.

The Green MEP for the South East said: "Theresa May rightly identified the scourge of plastic pollution as one of the most urgent problems facing Britain and the planet.

"Sadly, however, the announcement of the 25 Year Environmental Plan provided scant detail of any policies the Government hopes to implement to actually tackle the issue.

"The Prime Minister also completely failed to acknowledge that to have any hope of winning the fight against a plastic pollution problem that has no respect for borders, it is essential Britain works closely and collaboratively with its neighbours."

He said one of the few policies the Prime Minister did announce which was welcome was the extension of the 5p plastic bag levy from large stores and supermarkets – which has already cut 85 per cent of plastic carrier use in Britain – too all shops in the country.

But he went on: "What Theresa May kept quiet, though, is the fact that the Tories were obliged to bring the charge in to fulfil an EU directive on plastic pollution that was designed by the Greens in the European Parliament."