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A food company has defended its controversial new logo after customers complained about its phallic design.

The owner of the Dirty Bird van, which visits festivals and events around Wales, says it is just a clever way of making the “d” and “b” of the company name look like a rooster.

But some customers have said they have been left shocked by the logo.

Customer Abigail Griffiths, 29, said: “I was queueing up with my two young sons when I looked at the logo and realised what it represents.

“It is not the sort of thing that should be on display around children.”

Another customer Denise Leyshon, 43, said: “The food was finger-licking good but when I saw the logo I was a bit shocked.

“It’s not really what you want to think about when you’re tucking into your meal.

“I was a little shocked but I would still come back for seconds.”

Earlier this year, the skate park in Porthcawl raised a few eyebrows when a satellite view gave it a distinctly phallic appearance.

Dirty Bird owner Neil Young denied the company tried to make the logo phallic.

He said: “We’ve never really thought about it like that. Our designer created a d and b for “dirty bird” then pushed them together to make a cockerel

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“We started trading this year. Our first event was feeding all the top chefs in Wales, serving crew food at Aberaeron Seafood Festival at the Harbourmaster.

“We fed the Michelin Star winning chef Stephen Terry from the Hardwick who loved the food and brand. Our aim is to change perceptions of fried chicken."

Neil added: “It’s always going to be a ‘guilty pleasure’ but we’re elevating it with 24-hour soaked buttermilk free range chicken in our own spice dredge.”

The food company has also produced saucy giant posters telling customers to “Touch My Thigh” and “Touch My Breast”.

Mark James, who designed the logo, said: “We were given the name Dirty Bird as the brief, and started working on ideas. We looked at the initials, DB. Then worked with the lowercase ‘db’ linking them to form the shape of a rooster. It’s graphic representation of a rooster incorporating the initials. It depends on how you look at it.

“I’m not sure there have been any complaints. A few comments but it’s in the eye of the beholder, as they say.”

Cathy Owen: Opinion

Oh dear! The Dirty Bird logo has ruffled a few feathers. Is it really the example you should be setting for children as the world gets more and more sexualised?

As a mother of two young boys, I am more concerned about what type of food they are serving up than whether they have a sign that might be a bit phallic looking.

After all, a lot of innuendos go completely over the heads of young children.

What is more important to me with young children is making sure that what you are getting is good quality food.

Michelin star chef Stephen Terry obviously thinks it is, even tweeting about it as “top notch tucker”.

It is juvenile, but not like the advertising is aimed at children, but parents of teenagers might take a completely different view, and the company seems committed to producing good quality food, even if it is a bit on the naughty side.