CITY OF YORK education bosses are getting all steamed up in a row over hot cross buns.

They are demanding an apology from a national newspaper after it claimed the council had banned the seasonal buns for fear of upsetting Muslims and other non-Christians.

Hot cross buns are not being served at York schools this year, but council officers insist there is no specific reason for this and school leaders have instead organised a special menu.

Patrick Scott, director of education, has written to the Sunday Telegraph's editor, Dominic Lawson, to demand an apology.

He said: "This is not about hot cross buns. It is about a national newspaper publishing an inaccurate story, causing upset to minority groups and other readers and damaging this council's reputation.

"We even have people in York still believing the story is true. We have waited two weeks for the Sunday Telegraph to publish a correction. It should be big enough an organisation to oblige."

Four other councils across the UK are also waiting for a retraction from the paper and have indicated they are willing to pursue other courses of action if it is not forthcoming.

In his letter to the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Scott writes: "As a council we try to promote inclusion and community harmony based upon mutual respect - including encouraging people to respect each other's cultural and religious traditions."

A spokeswoman for the Sunday Telegraph said that no letter had yet been received from the council.

She said: "Until we have actually received the letter to our editor we cannot respond in any way. When we get the letter we will then decide what action to take."

Updated: 09:17 Friday, April 04, 2003