STARBUCKS is to roll out a 5p charge on paper cups to all its stores across Britain.

All of its 950 stores will add a 5p charge onto the cost of any drink purchased in a paper cup in a bid to encourage customers to bring their own reusable cups.

Starbucks has branches in Bournemouth, Westbourne, Poole, Ringwood and Wimborne.

Customers using reusable cups already receive a 25p discount off any Starbucks drink.

The announcement comes following a three-month trial in London which showed a 126 per cent increase in the use of reusable cups by customers.

During the three-month trial, Starbucks worked with environmental charity and behavioural change experts Hubbub, who compiled a report evaluating the overall impact of the charge on customer behaviour.

Their results showed mornings was the best time of day for customers using reusable cups with 8 per cent of all hot drinks served in reusable mugs or tumblers.

Earlier this week Starbucks announced plans to eliminate single-use plastic straws globally by 2020, making a new Starbucks strawless lid a standard on all iced coffee, tea and espresso beverages.

Martin Brok, president, Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “Extending this to all our stores across Britain is an exciting step and we’re hoping this charge will remind customers to rethink their use of single-use plastic as it has with plastic bags.”