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Tesco has slammed moves to make Brighton the first city in Britain to ban plastic carrier bags, saying it is better to "encourage rather than coerce" customers towards greener consumption.

A spokesman for Britain's largest retailer said that forcing people to act through bans and taxes deprived them of the ability to make choices for themselves.

"We all know that the overwhelming majority of the price of petrol is duties and taxes, some of which are ostensibly 'green'," he said. "But is there any sign that there are fewer cars on the road?

"As Defra acknowledges, and the Irish experience bears out, if you simply tax plastic bags or ban them, sales of things like bin liners, which are far worse for the environment, tend to soar."

Brighton and Hove Council has no legal standing to affect an outright ban. But it passed a motion last week to "support and encourage" retailers, businesses and commercial manufacturers to eliminate "excessive packaging, in particular the widespread use of plastic bags".

In April, retailers in Modbury, Devon, agreed to stop using plastic bags.