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The owner of a vegan restaurant has been forced to lift her ban on animal fat banknotes.

Following the introduction of the new £10 note last week Rachael Phoenix, who owns Voltaire in Bangor, has changed its policy on accepting the money.

It was last year, after it was announced the new £5 notes contained tallow, a type of animal fat, Rachel banned the note from her eatery.

This was well received by customers but this month saw the new tenner launched, which also includes animal fat.

Rachael said that they have now decided to lift the ban on both notes, The Daily Post Wales reports.

She said they had made their point and did not want to cause “confusion or embarrassment” to their customers.

She explained their position on Facebook: “So, some of you will remember our protest on accepting the new £5 note. We felt that this was necessary and appropriate for us to object, considering we run a vegan business.

“We had overwhelming support from customers which we would like to give a huge thank you for.

“Most people understood that our decision was based on our love for animals and also an objection to our banks, government, etc, making these poor choices without considering not only vegans and vegetarians but also many religious groups too.”

The animal fat revelation caused anger with many vegans and vegetarians, with a petition started to get the Bank of England(BoE) to make changes to the note.

But the BoE said while they recognise the concerns raised they will not change the new fiver and would issue the £10 polymer note as planned.

They will though consult with the public on the issue before future production runs.

“We all have to stand up for what we believe otherwise things either stay the same or get worse,” said Rachael.

“Unfortunately animal products are in so many of our everyday items, some of which seem very ridiculous and unnecessary. It would be nice to think that one day products will have a vegan stamp on so that everyone can make an easy decision to better the environment, and hopefully end a lot of unnecessary suffering.

“The new £10 is now in circulation so we have come to the decision to accept the notes.

“We have had our say and don’t want to cause any confusion or embarrassment to our customers.

“We are glad we made a stand and hope that our voice contributed in someway to the choices our authorities make in the future.”