A VEGETARIAN group has given a top quality Leigh bakers a roasting over its sausage roll charity donation -- and earned itself a tasty rebuke from Journaland's civic VIP.

Viva, the Vegetarians International Voice for Animals, claims that Waterfield's gift of a penny from every roll bought to the Mayor's £40,000 appeal for a scanner to diagnose cancer and heart disease is like tobacco companies promoting the sale of cigarettes by donating to buy surgeon's knives to perform cancer operations.

Flabbergasted

But Mayor Cllr John Hilton says he is flabbergasted by the veggie attack.

"Eat as many sausage rolls as you can," is the advice from the Mayor after Viva suggested sausage rolls were unhealthy.

"I would rather have our residents screened for cancer. I would treat the Viva advice with the contempt it deserves."

And bakery chief Richard Waterfield has hit back saying it is obvious the group is basing the perception of sausage roll filling bought in the south, and that everyone is welcome to the Manchester Road bakery to see the quality of pork used.

Viva communications director Tony Wardle, in Brighton, says: "Sausage rolls are among the most unhealthy foods you can eat and are the perfect food to create heart disease if eaten regularly.

"Even at this moment there is a desperate attempt to find out which meat manufacturers use mechanically recovered meat - bits blasted from carcasses with high pressure water jets - and traditionally used in pies, pasties and sausage meat.

"Why? Because it is feared that this provided one of the most serious routes for transmission of mad cow disease."

He appeals to Waterfields to substitute a veggie filling for meat but Mr Waterfield, whose company is a member of a vegetarian society, said:

"I am delighted that the efforts Waterfields are making to contribute to local charities have been recognised from as far afield as Brighton.

"This year we are celebrating 75 years in business, so we must be doing something right, and we set ourselves the target of raising £75,000 for charity.

"Our three main events include a sponsored bike ride from Lands End to John o'Groats by MD John Waterfield and five supporters which should raise £25,000 for Childline, a raffle for a car with which we hope to generate £25,000 for Christie Hospital, and we are hoping the donations from sausage roll sales throughout the year will raise £25,000 for the charities supported by the 33 shops in the region.

Sausage rolls

"It is obvious that Mr Wardle has never tasted our sausage rolls and must be basing his perception on the filling of sausage rolls that are purchased in the south.

"Any of our customers is welcome to visit the bakery to see the quality of pork that we use and Mr Wardle does the craft baking industry a great injustice with his defamatory and generic comments."