Supermarket customers are being urged to take radical action by peeling off their excess packaging and leaving it in store.

Colchester councillor Tim Young wants shoppers to make the statement so supermarkets "get the message".

The St Andrew's ward councillor, who led the way while shopping at the town's Asda store, hopes it will ultimately stop "unnecessary" waste being churned out.

He said: "Unless we take some direct action, supermarkets won't get the message.

"The environment is so important, we have got to reduce waste and this is one way to do it."

A Tesco spokesman said the Colchester stores would "not encourage" the move, saying it was taking "more practical" steps of tackling waste.

Earlier this year, Asda offered facilities at two of its stores in the north of England for customers wanting to discard packaging.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said they did not have facilities for customers wanting to leave packaging, adding that customers were encouraged to use the recycling facilities.

He said: "We pioneered the use of compostible packaging on some of our products."

Colchester Council leader Robert Davidson said: "I would also encourage the action as long as food is transported safely back to the fridge."