The Vegetarian Society has blasted Preston Bus for using leather seats on its new park and ride fleet.

The group says bus companies should not be equipping their vehicles with the seats in a bid to entice more people to use them, saying it causes suffering to animals and there are plenty of synthetic alternatives available.

But Preston Bus has defended the new buses, saying it is simply trying to provide a service that is as good as possible.

Annette Pinner, chief executive of the Vegetarian Society, said: "There are many vegetarians who would not want to sit on leather seats and would take the view that bus companies should be looking at alternatives because of the cruelty to animals and the environmental effects.

"Many vegetarians take their lifestyles beyond their choices about diet and they would be quite disturbed if they thought the use of leather was increasing.

"The question we would ask is 'why?'. Why is it so attractive to sit on leather?"

This is not the first time the Vegetarian Society has spoken up over the issue.

In March this year they spoke out against the use of leather seats on buses in parts of the West Midlands after a vegetarian complained to National Express in the region.

For the full story see Monday's Lancashire Evening Post.

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