WORCESTER shoppers are shunning supermarkets and flocking to butchers for turkeys from local farms.

Butchers in Worcester and the surrounding areas are reporting a buoyant trade in turkeys at prices of £2.50 per lb as residents turn to traditional suppliers.

Craig Saunders, owner of H Dayus Family Butcher, in St John's, Worcester, said: "I have doubled the number of turkeys I sold last year.

"We get a lot of people we only see once a year and that is at Christmas. I think turkey is still very popular. We sell a lot of beef and pork but the vast majority of people buy poultry - whether it is a big chicken or a turkey."

He added that the threat of bird flu had not influenced the Christmas poultry sales.

"In general, people who shop with a butcher trust the local butcher. If there was a problem with bird flu, my customers know I would tell them. We pride ourselves on sourcing all our meat locally. It is all traceable."

Barry Potter, who owns Potter's Family Butcher, Astwood Road, said: "Turkey crowns are selling well and have become very popular. Their sales are up on last year.

"None of my customers have been put off by bird flu. The people who do not know about meat might be concerned."

Phil Checketts, owner of Checketts of Ombersley, said: "Turkey sales are up this year. We have sold the same amount of turkeys but we have sold a lot more rolled turkey breast. We have also sold a lot of beef. We always get new customers at Christmas. They like to go to the butcher at Christmas rather than the supermarket. The birds are all from Worcestershire and the other fresh meat is always British. We tend to find that if there is a food scare, people come to us because they trust us."

Jerrum's, in Barbourne, and Narraways, in St John's, have also reported excellent sales.

They say that while there may be some birds available in the few days before Christmas, they advise people to get their orders in quickly to make sure they get what they want.