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The ban, which applies to all businesses including takeaways, food vendors, hospitality firms and retailers, also restricts the sale of polystyrene cups and plastic balloon sticks.

However, the ban does not apply to single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food.

The government announced the new regulations, which have been introduced as part of efforts to clamp down on plastic pollution, in January.

In Nuneaton and Bedworth they will be enforced by Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Department.

People across England use 2.7 billion items of mostly plastic single-use cutlery and 721 million single-use plates every year, but only 10 per cent are recycled, according to government estimates.

Cllr Julian Gutteridge, Portfolio holder for Health and Environment, said:

“We would like to remind businesses across our borough that this highly important piece of legislation is now being implemented.

“This is the next step in the mission to crack down on harmful plastic waste.

“It will protect the environment and help to cut litter by ending plastic pollution messing up our streets and harming our wildlife.”

The ban is part of the government’s latest round of policies to cut down on plastic packaging.

It follows the introduction of a plastic packaging tax in April 2022 and the launch of single-use plastic carrier bag charges in 2015.

Ministers also plan to introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.