FOOD standards bosses in Warrington say that are doing ‘all they can’ to make sure residents in the town are not affected by the horse meat scandal.

Warrington Borough Council’s public protection team say it has been working with local food producers, including those who use minced beef in their products, to ensure that they can verify their audit trail.

Officers have also been recommending that producers commission their own independent tests to back up their audit trail.

A spokesman said the team is helping all public bodies in the borough including prisons, private hospitals, colleges, academies and the local authority’s school meals service to examine their respective supply chains.

Peter Astley, the council’s public protection manager, said: "In the wake of this national issue I'm keen to assure our residents that we are doing all we can in Warrington to ensure that the public are not exposed to adulterated meat products.

“We are carefully monitoring the national picture to ensure that we react quickly to any new developments. ”