PIZZAS made at a Westhoughton factory have been withdrawn from sale by supermarket chain Asda in a new alert over the banned food dye Sudan 1.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued the warning after tests carried out on Asda's Flavours of the World Moroccan Chicken Pizza Flatbread found traces of the dye, which is believed to be a cancer-causing agent.

The pizza is made by Stateside Foods, based on the Wingates Industrial Estate. The company is understood to have discovered the dye earlier this week.

It is still unclear how the dye ended up in the pizza, but it is thought to have come from an harissa sauce supplied to Stateside Foods by Keddies saucemasters, a South Wales supplier. The company refused to comment.

Asda is advising anyone who bought the £2.98 pizza with a use-by date of March 22 to contact their nearest store for a refund.

Sudan 1 is a synthetically produced red dye normally used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe and floor polishes.