ENVIRONMENTAL health officers have found three shops in Swindon that were selling curry powders containing a cancerous dye.

They carried out inspections of shops across Swindon after it was revealed that Rajah Premium hot and mild curry powders with a best before date of up to and including June 2008 contain Sudan 1 dye.

The Food Standards Agency released a list of foods containing the dye in February.

Rajah curry powders are the latest food to have been added to the list.

Clive Browning, a senior health environmental health officer said: "We found three premises that were selling the curry powder.

"They bought the products in good faith and they are just returning them to the suppliers and claiming the money back.

"We knew which outlets we needed to visit and we visited them all immediately on Friday."

And he has advice for anyone who thinks they have eaten some of the curry powder or have it in their cupboard at home.

"Anybody who has consumed this curry powder needn't worry. It only occurs in food in very small quantities. You would have to eat vast quantities of it for it to cause any harm in the long term."

Anyone with any queries should contact the council's health and safety department on 01793 466067.