“Old bags” were welcomed at a shopping centre event – to be exchanged for more environmentally friendly ones.

The Liberty shopping centre, in Romford, hosted the “Big Old Bag Swap”, where shoppers had the chance to snap up more than 1,000 free eco-friendly carriers by trading in more than 1,110 plastic bags.

Grandmother of eight Dorothy Relph, from Emerson Park, commented: “The campaign slogan is hilarious and really sticks in the mind. I’m all for conservation and giving consideration for our future generations.”

The centre celebrated the importance of recycling and was also visited by the Mayor of Havering, Cllr Linda Trew and the cabinet member for environment, Cllr Robert Benham.

He said: “Plastic bags can take hundreds of years to decompose in landfill sites and can be extremely dangerous to wildlife and the environment.

“Reusable carrier bags are the way forward to tackle this issue and I am pleased the Liberty shopping centre is raising awareness and leading by example.”

Centre manager Jonathan Poole said: “It was great to hold an event to spread awareness in our local community. There was a real buzz in the centre all weekend and we were thrilled to receive such a high volume of plastic bags for recycling.”