THE majority of curry houses in Southampton are serving up dangerously high doses of food colourings, a new survey reveals.

Health campaigners are demanding urgent government action after only one Indian restaurant out of 15 visited by city trading standards officers passed food safety tests.

The Food Commission, a campaigning charity, wants more research to be carried out into the effects of artificial colourings amid fears they are a recipe for disaster by sparking strong adverse reactions with some people, including hyper-activity.

One city outlet added eight times the permitted limit of colouring in one of its meals, the survey found.

Principal trading standards officer Malcolm Thornton said: "Out of the 15 establishments we visited undercover to buy chicken tikka masala dishes for food colouring analysis, 14 failed the legal requirements.

"Artificial colourings are not used in traditional Indian cuisine and now we know why many meals at Southampton restaurants are so bright.

"This is not acceptable and the law is clear on this issue so that people do not intake huge amounts of colourings."

Mr Thornton said his team had given advice to the unnamed establishments that failed and warned them that they could face prosecution and a maximum £5,000 fine if they continued to flout the regulations.

Food Commission director Tim Lobstein said: "We know these additives can provoke adverse reactions in a small number of people. We have been arguing against the unnecessary use of food additives for some time and there is a lot of testing that needs to be done."

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