The war on plastic waste has started in Canterbury with the efforts of one woman to encourage shoppers to ditch packaging.

Hotelier Lynda Desmarais opens her new shop today, offering a feast of fresh produce as well as loose coffee, teas, grains, seeds, rice, oils, daily baked bread and even washing powder - all without a plastic bag, box or tray in sight.

The eco-friendly business, called Unboxed Kent, has been launched at 12th century Conquest House in Palace Street which Mr Desmarais owns and is fabled for accommodating the knights who murdered Archbishop Thomas Beckett in 1170.

Mrs Desmarais says she was inspired to open the shop after becoming disillusioned with her own efforts to cut down on packaging.

"No matter how hard I tried, I just seemed to end up with loads of it to put out for collection every week, which was ridiculous," she said.

"Then one night I woke up and thought why not go back to basics, like my own mother did when she went shopping and there was hardly any packaging.

"I had an ideal space here at Conquest House which is a wonderful and fascinating building which people like to visit anyway."

Unboxed Kent will be especially welcomed in the King's Mile area following the closure of Dumbrell's greengrocers last week.

"We will encourage customers to bring their own shopping bags and receptacles but will also have brown paper bags if needed," said Mrs Desmarais.

She added: "All our fruit and veg will be from local farms, where possible and even our coffee is being especially blended for us.

"We are trying to keep prices down to supermarket levels and it's certainly not about making a big profit."

Four staff have been recruited for the business which will be open every day, except Mondays, including 9am until 2pm on Sundays.