FORMER Blue Peter presenter Peter Purves has called new toilet rolls that come without an inner tube a “complete catastrophe”.
Cushelle is the first brand to dump the cardboard cylinders in a bid to cut waste.
But Purves, 83, is outraged having taught children how to use the rolls for arts and crafts during his 11 years on Blue Peter.
He said: “I’m horrified. In all my years on Blue Peter loo roll was always the most essential element in doing all the makes on the programme.
“It appeared in about five out of every ten things we made on the show. We used them all the time. It’s a complete catastrophe.”
Cushelle’s new rolls have 360 sheets rather than the standard 180 and their researchers have managed to pack them so that they can be used like traditional rolls but without the supporting tube.
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Industry bosses have welcomed the move, saying it is a step forward for the humble bog roll.
Barry Read, chief executive of the Paper Industry Technical Association said: “The great British bog roll has moved into the 21st century.
“We’re a market leader and we’re showing the world how it’s done.
“This welcome development shows how the paper industry is reacting to consumer demand.
“Our existing toilet roll cores were perfectly recyclable as they were but the market is adapting. It’s onwards and upwards for the toilet roll.”