It was handbags at dawn as more than 100 fashion fans queued from 4am today to buy the last Sainsbury's limited edition reusable carrier bags in the country.

The cotton bags designed by Anya Hindmarch became must-have accessories after actress Keira Knightley and singer Lily Allen carried them.

The £5 replacements for plastic carriers - bearing the logo "I'm not a plastic bag" - sold out at stores across the country but 87 were available today in Sainsbury's West Hove, which was reopening after a refurbishment.

But eco-conscious shoppers were bemused when staff wrapped them in plastic carriers.

Fashion lecturer Mary Carson, 45, of Preston Park, said: "I'm really disappointed that they put it in a plastic bag. The whole point is that you don't use a plastic bag."

One of the first in the queue to get the bag was Laura Gholami, 18.

The A level student from Lindfield, Haywards Heath, said: "It is so good I've been able to buy it. All of the Wags have got them and I'm just a typical 18-year-old.

"I go to a small college in Burgess Hill and I'll be able to go there with a posh bag - and of course do my bit for the environment."

Store manager Mark McParland said: "This morning has gone fantastically well. There is huge huge interest in the bag and people don't believe us when we say we're going to run out."

Not everybody was lucky enough to get a designer bag, which were selling on eBay today for as much as £250.

Hair colourist Julie Mason, 37, of Woodhouse Road, Hove, said: "My friend emailed my husband last night from America and asked if I could get her one.

"I thought I'd come down today and get myself one also but it doesn't matter," she shrugged.

The bags, made at an "ethical" factory in China, were designed by Hindmarch to help reduce the number of plastic bags shoppers use.

Each year an estimated ten billion carriers are used with most of them ending up as landfill. Recently supermarkets have launched a range of initiatives to cut that number.

Tesco is offering customers loyalty points for every bag saved while Asda this week launched a bag-free checkout where people must bring their own bags.

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