OVER three quarters of kebabs tested by Bucks Trading Standards contained the wrong sort of meat, it was revealed today.

Officers from Bucks County Council took 14 samples of lamb kebabs from takeaways in Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Amersham and Chesham for testing by the public analyst.

Results show that 11 contained chicken and one showed five per cent beef.

And of the further 13 samples taken from beef burgers, two contained some lamb.

Trading Standards officers Sarah Stevens and David Graby, who led the sampling operation at the end of last year, said the problem centred not on the meat content but on the labelling.

Mr Graby said: “It's quite reasonable for a kebab to contain a mixture of meat, so long as the label description makes the content clear.

“But if people think they're buying a lamb kebab, then it should contain only lamb, and it should be labelled accordingly.

“This is clearly an issue of mis-labelling or no labelling, and in our meetings with traders we'll focus on ensuring consumers are able to identify clearly what they're buying.”

Officers will revisit the kebab shops to work with traders to help them comply with labelling regulations and advise them on the checking of labels on meat they buy in.