SUPERMARKETS are being urged to ditch plastic straws from their stores.

SNP MSP Kate Forbes – who is leading the Final Straw campaign to cut down on single-use plastics – has written to all the main chains urging them to stop stocking straws.

It comes after Asda’s announcement that it will become the first UK supermarket to remove plastic straws entirely from its shelves and cafes by the end of 2018.

Ms Forbes’ campaign had already been backed by the Scottish Parliament, ScotRail Alliance, CalMac, several councils and public bodies.

She said: “I am absolutely delighted to hear that Asda is the first major supermarket to make the move from plastic to biodegradable alternatives.

“This means there will be 2.4 million fewer plastic straws ending up in our seas and causing damage to our wildlife each year.

“That is why I’m turning the focus of my Final Straw campaign to supermarket chains like Tesco, Lidl and Morrison’s, urging them to remove plastic straws from their shelves and cafes.

“Most of us don’t need and don’t want plastic straws, but we don’t always get the choice to say no.

“If supermarkets ditch plastic, then it’s easier for customers to make different choices and to change the way our nation thinks about disposable plastics and our responsibilities to the planet.”

The Scottish Parliament has also announced its intention to ban the sale and manufacture of plastic-stemmed cotton buds in a bid to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution.