A PRESTON man says malicious rumours about the ritual sprinkling of cow's urine on products are ruining his business.

Kamal Parekh has been running RK Sweets, in St Paul's Road, for the past eight years and says rumours have hurt him personally as well as his establishment.

He said: "Being in a majority Muslim area the rumours have affected trade enormously.

"People love our food and over the years we have never had a problem like this. The accusations are rubbish.

Mr Parekh says he needed to re-assure people that his products were safe to eat. RK Sweets sells savouries and Asian delicacies such as Jalebis and Mathai. "We buy from the same suppliers as other shops in the region and I make the sweets and savouries myself.

"We've been visited by the health inspectors and they found nothing wrong and we have a certificate to prove it."

The rumours materialised in Leicester and then spread nationwide with Hindu establishments being targeted.

Leicester City Council have since stated that they are 'not aware of any food business in the city being cautioned or prosecuted in connection with the presence in food of cow's urine'.

Preston City Council's Environmental Health team have also found no evidence of the practice when they investigated the premises on their routine visit. A council spokesman said: "They are just vicious rumours."

The situation was also brought to the attention of Home Office Minister Angela Eagle at a meeting recently in London where members of the Hindu community asked for her urgent attention to help Hindu businesses being affected by attacks.

Dr Suraliwala, who shops at R K Sweets, said: "I am very particular about the food I buy. It's excellent here and you can watch them prepare some products while you shop. I have never suffered any illness as a result of eating their delicacies."