The animal welfare charity has offered to send vegan treats to the town to replace 'cruelly obtained' chickens eggs for an egg and spoon race.

In the letter, the group highlights the 'cruelty inherent in the egg industry', which they say confines countless birds to severely crowded battery-style cages, in which the floor space is 'little larger than the size of an A4 sheet of paper'. PETA Director, Elisa Allen, said:

"You can't ignore the cruelty of the egg industry, which crams millions of smart, sensitive chickens into cages so small that they cannot stretch out even a single wing, let alone do anything else that comes naturally to them.

"By switching to vegan eggs, Stourbridge can help stop this suffering without sacrificing any of the fun."

PETA is offering to donate vegan chocolate eggs that can be eaten, or plastic eggs that can be reused many times, which - in addition to being kinder options - are less wasteful and therefore better for the environment.

Vegan chocolate is  also dairy and egg-free, meaning children with lactose intolerance or an egg allergy wouldn't be excluded from the fun.