DRINKING water fountains and free drinking water are among the ideas being considered to cut plastic bottle use across north Lancashire.

Labour councillors on Lancaster City Council have launched a bid to encourage more residents and businesses to help reduce the number of bottles ending up in landfill and the sea.

Ideas to be explored by the council include water fountains in Lancaster and Morecambe; free refills by local food and drink vendors; the launch of a Lancaster refillable water container to be sold at visitor centres; use of reusable and recyclable coffee cups; and eco-friendly cups at cafes.

The plans to cut plastic bottle use were proposed by Labour councillors Andrew Kay, Ronnie Kershaw, Oscar Thynne, Claire Cozler and David Whitaker at a full meeting of Lancaster City Council.

Cllr Kay said: "Millions of plastic bottles are used by people in the UK every day and then immediately thrown away.

"Although they can be recycled, only around seven per cent of them are turned into new bottles. Most either end up in landfill or in the ocean where they pose a real risk to marine life and they can find their way into the human food chain through the fish we eat.

"While recycling is to be encouraged, reducing use of these bottles in the first place is the most sustainable solution."