Strawberries - alternatives to straw?

You could try the local pet shops who often sell large bags of the stuff (rather than bales) for the guinea pigs etc.

What about supermarkets, they usually have a large pet selection.

This might be a silly question but does weed control fabric allow water to drain through it?

Yes, weed control fabric does allow water through.

As for using sawdust as mulch for strawberries, I wouldn't because when sawdust gets damp, it stays very damp for a long time and any berries touching it are prone to going moldy faster. Straw actually lifts the berries away from the soil and lets air circulate.

Nice one Trillium, never thought of that, sometimes the obvious isn't obvious.

  Robbo.

I allways use sharp sand stays good and dry  and  the slugs hat the stuff

an old gardening book i read suggests using grass clippings to cover strawberry plants, tried it myself, certainly easier than straw