A NORTH-EAST dairy has seen a five per cent increase in glass milk bottle sales over the past month.

Hanover Dairies says it reflects growing concern from consumers about the environmental impact of single use plastic containers.

In comparison it says glass milk bottles can be reused up to 20 times and are generally recyclable.

Tony Baldwin, managing director of the Newcastle-based business, said: “We’ve had a surge in glass milk bottle sales over the past month with an average increase of more than five per cent, however, in certain areas the increases have been as much as eight per cent or higher.

“Consumer awareness continues to grow week-by-week and customers are phoning and contacting the website requesting milk deliveries in glass bottles.”

Hanover Dairies, founded in 1976 by owner Trevor Hanover, has 20 distribution centres throughout the north-east, north-west and Scotland.

It is committed to maintaining door-step deliveries with depots at Middlesbrough, Manchester, Preston, Glasgow and Alloa.

It supplies milk to 200 door-step delivery rounds with a total of 120,000 customers; local businesses; shops and more than 1,000 schools.

Mr Baldwin said: “Greater consumer awareness has led to a resurgence in the sale of milk in the traditional glass bottle as well as increasing door-step deliveries.”

Prime Minister Theresa May recently pledged to scrap “all avoidable plastic waste” by 2042. The announcement will see supermarkets forced to remove plastic containers and plastic wrapping from food products.