The new £5 note, which is made by Wigton-based Innovia, contains animal fat - and vegan and vegetarians are not happy.

The Bank of England was asked on Twitter whether the notes were suitable for those choosing to ditch meat and other animal products from their diet.

In a response to many people asking the question, the Bank of England said: “There is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes.”

Tallow is typically a substance rendered form animal fat, such as beef or mutton fat.

Now more than 7,000 people have signed a petition to stop the production of the notes containing the fat.

The £5 note, featuring Sir Winston Churchill, entered circulation in September.

It is printed on Innovia Security's Guardian material, a flexible plastic film.

Those in circulation were not made in Wigton as the new plant was not finished, instead made using material from Innovia's Australian factory.

Any future prints and production of the polymer for the new £10 will however come from the Cumbrian factory.

Innovia has invested £40m at Wigton to gear up for the Bank of England contract, including construction of an opacification plant to coat the polymer and add security features prior to printing.

Mark Robertshaw, chief executive of Innovia Group, said: "The note is beautifully designed and its introduction in the UK allows for a new generation of cleaner, safer and stronger banknotes with robust security features and the very latest in anti-counterfeit technology.”

Other countries using Innovia’s polymer include Australia and Canada, where counterfeiting rates decreased by 98 per cent after the introduction of polymer notes in 2011.

The Bank of England is plans to introduce a £10 polymer note next year, followed by a £20 polymer note by 2020.

Innovia is in the process of tendering for the £20 note contract.