Businesses in Wales are embracing the country's plastic bag charges.

Businesses across Wales are embracing the country's decision to enforce a 5p charge on all single-use plastic bags, almost a year after it was introduced.

New figures show that only six firms across the nation have been found to have failed the new rules, Wales Online reports.

Wales became the first UK country to embrace this levy last October, asking businesses to charge a small fee on single-use shopping bags.

The policy has been hailed a success by environmental campaigners, who claim that retailers and shoppers support the policy.

Between October 2011 and August this year, the publication reports that Welsh local authorities have only received 16 complaints about businesses failing to enforce new rules.

Following investigations from council workers a mere six retailers were found to be violating the regulations.

Commenting on the news, Louise Tambini, project director for Keep Wales Tidy, said: "We are really delighted with the uptake of the charge and people have really understood it. Retailers are taking it seriously and are implementing it effectively."

"For us we have seen anecdotally a lot less carrier bags lying around which is fantastic news for the environment. In terms of the money itself, it has really helped us to continue to support volunteers," she went on to add.

The money raised from the charge is then collected by the retailer and passed on to good causes, allowing it to benefit the local and national community.

A Welsh government spokesman revealed: "We have been delighted by how well people throughout Wales have adapted to the 5p bag charge and how popular it has been.

"Recent figures show that since the charge was introduced last October, bag use has reduced by as much as 96 per cent in some retail sectors."

This is due to the new charges, as well as a growing popularity for paper bags and reusable shopping bags made from materials such as cotton and jute.