CO-OP stores are no longer selling eggs from caged hens.

From Monday, the large retail group has banned sales of the eggs as part of a range of measures under what it calls the Co-operative Food Ethical Policy.

The move follows a regional poll of customers that found overwhelming support for ethical trading, animal welfare and the environment.

As well as the egg ban, the Co-op is switching its own-brand hot beverages range to Fairtrade, cutting the weight of its wine packaging, and adding a further 66 pesticides to its banned list.

The Co-operative has 334 stores across the south east, many in the county, including Wye, Walderslade, St Peters Broadstairs, St Pauls Cray, Snodland, Sheerness, Sandwich, Bexleyheath, Gillingham, Faversham, Downham, Cranbrook, Bromley, Birchington, Belvedere and Aylesham. It operates a superstore in Welling.

The ban on the sale of eggs from caged hens means that all eggs on sale at the Co-op are now free range or organic.

In 1995, the Co-op became the first retailer to label eggs "Intensively Produced", a technically illegal step which led to a change in the law and to eggs being labelled "From Caged Hens".

Peter Marks, chief executive of The Co-operative Trading Group, said: "More than one in four of our members cited ethical trading as their priority, and in particular support for Fairtrade, so we're converting our entire range of own-brand tea to Fairtrade - by the middle of this month all tea produced under The Co-operative label will be Fairtrade.

"Alongside our Fairtrade coffee and hot chocolate, this means that all our own-brand hot beverages benefit the producers in developing countries.

"A similar number said that animal welfare was a priority and as a result we're banning, with immediate effect, the sale of all caged eggs within our stores."