A LEADING health expert is urging supermarket giants and corner shops to take a children's sweet off the shelves.

Brenda Griffiths, public health practitioner for Bolton, has slammed the brightly coloured Big Baby Pop, claiming they are "terrible for children's health and teeth".

She is writing to retail outlets across the town urging them to reconsider the marketing of the false baby bottles which contain thick syrup.

Bolton already has one of the highest rates of dental decay in the country. More than half of children aged five in Bolton suffer from extensive tooth decay, while the figures for children aged 12 to 14 are similar.

Overall levels of tooth decay in Bolton stand at 55 per cent, 15 per cent higher than the national average. Mrs Griffiths said: "When I saw this tiny feeder full of sherbet I was appalled. I have expressed my disappointment to supermarkets in the area.

"It portrays the wrong message by being attractive to children under three."

Asda spokesman Michelle Lewis said: "We sell a range of sweets that are packaged in a way that appeals to young children. This is a very common product and is stocked in many other supermarkets and shops.

"We take customer concerns very seriously but this wasn't a product which we had heard concern about before. We will be looking into it."