Wildlife artist Robert E Fuller has lent his support to a scheme to turn his local town into a plastic bag-free zone.

Robert Fuller, the artist behind the Robert Fuller Gallery's greeting card designs, has chosen the logo which will be printed on to a new range of ‘bags for life' to be distributed to shoppers in Malton, North Yorkshire.

Malton hopes to be only the second town in Yorkshire to join a movement that is sweeping the country to consign plastic bags to the bin, after Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire banned plastic bags earlier this year.

The scheme, which is the brain child of a 16-year-old girl, is very much a grass-roots movement involving shopkeepers and local businesses. It also has the backing of Ryedale District Council, its chamber of commerce and its resident group.

School children from four local primary schools were asked to come up with designs for logos for the bags, which will be printed locally.

Mr Fuller, who is known for his commitment to conservation and the preservation of wildlife, was asked to judge the best design out of more than 100 entries.

He picked a design by 10-year-old Alice Walker of Welburn Primary School .

“Alice 's design was very striking; I noticed it as soon as I walked into the room. It had a strong environmental message as well as a link to the twin towns of Malton and Norton,” he said.

“Plastic bags cause havoc to wildlife as well as to the landscape and I am delighted to see the tide turn against them.

“Malton is surrounded by beautiful countryside which hosts a wealth of wildlife. It is so important we protect our much-loved environment.

“I am confident that the people and businesses in Malton will get behind this fantastic initiative and use these exclusive Malton bags with pride.

“I am very happy to be involved – I think it is a great idea – and I will be looking out for the bags in the shops soon so that I can get my hands on the first ones!”

Zoe Plummer of Malton's chamber of commerce, Business in Action, applauded Mr Fuller's involvement.

“We want to get people to stop using plastic bags for the sake of local wildlife. We chose Robert because he represents that wildlife,” she said.

We also want to encourage our residents to take pride in their town and to get them to shop locally, rather than get into their cars to go elsewhere,” she added.