Peta's anti-meat poster in Gloucester vandalised

A billboard poster which links death with eating meat has been vandalised.

The poster, which showed a coffin-shaped pie and posed the question "Not ready to meat your maker?", recommends veganism in the fight against obesity.

It was put up in Gloucester by campaign group Peta, which said it chose the city because it was the location of a new mortuary for obese bodies.

But a section has now been torn down, removing Peta's name and revealing that of the chip maker McCain underneath.

The poster was criticised by the National Obesity Forum (NOF) as laughable when it was unveiled earlier in the week.

The NOF said it was an attempt to make a point out of others' misfortune.

Peta said Gloucester's new mortuary could accommodate bodies weighing up to 50st (317kg) but Gloucestershire County Council said the mortuary was one of many in the country that could accommodate bodies of this size.

Local butcher Nick Brown said: "If they cut out chocolate and computers and TV dinners, they might cut it [obesity] out then.

"But meat to my mind is good for you and I don't know many butchers who haven't reached the age of 80 and they've eaten meat all their life."