Nearly half of Eastern Daily Press website readers have been put off buying supermarket meat [42.7%] as a result of the horse meat scandal, a survey has revealed, while just over half [50.6%] say they would now be more likely shop with independent local butchers.

We asked 1,000 www.edp24.co.uk readers, in association with usurv.com, for their views on the scandal.

We found that almost a third [27%] said the thought of inadvertently eating horse meat 'sickened' them, with the rest saying they were either just not keen on the idea [36.4%] or even not bothered at all [36.6%]. While 43per cent of men said they were 'not bothered' about the prospect of eating horse meat, only 26 per cent of women felt the same.

Meanwhile, 39.5 per cent of people said they thought they had probably eaten a horse meat contaminated product, while 34.5 per cent said they had not. The remaining 26 per cent quarter said they didn't know if they had eaten horse meat.

Overall, 62.3 per cent of respondents said they would be willing to pay more for their meat if it meant quality was guaranteed, while 37.7 per cent said they would not.