The Bank of England has yielded to angry calls from vegans and vegetarians to change the new £5 note after it emerged that the plastic currency contained traces of animal fat.

The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street announced this evening that Innovia, the company that supplies it with polymer pellets that go into the notes, is working on “potential solutions” to the problem.

It came after the central bank sparked controversy among vegans and vegetarians when it came to light earlier this week that the new fivers are made using tallow, a substance produced from animal fat typically from beef or mutton.