Poundland criticised for selling M&M-style sweets called 'Nutters' with cross-eyed faces on bags

Poundland insist 'Nutters' have been a 'customer favourite'

The chocolate-covered nuts are similar to M&Ms (Poundland)

Poundland has been criticised by mental health campaigners for selling sweets called "Nutters" which feature cross-eyed faces on the bags.

The chocolate-covered nuts, which are similar to M&Ms, have been regarded as offensive to people with mental health problems after they went on sale at the budget store's 896 outlets.

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat MP whose 29-year-old son Archie has mental health problems, said "nutter" was "not the sort of expression we should be using these days".

He told The Sun: “There is a stigma attached to mental health and we need to be careful about the way we talk about it.

“The product needs to be quickly withdrawn from sale and Poundland needs to apologise.”

Dr Sophie Dix, Director of Research at mental health research charity MQ, told the BBC: "While we have seen a positive change in perception of mental health, promotion of products with offensive language and distressing imagery is a real step backwards for progress."

However, other mental health charities were less critical of the product.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental charity SANE, told The Independent: “While we can understand the concern about this packaging, it all depends on the context.

"Sometimes people with or without mental health problems jokingly refer to themselves in this way."

She added: “If there is no intention to cause offence we don’t think it is helpful to be too prescriptive, as it can frighten people from talking about mental health at all.”

Responding to the criticism, Poundland said the chocolates have been a popular product over the last year.

“These chocolate-covered nuts have been a customer favourite over the last 12 months and that popularity suggests it hasn’t caused offence to them," a spokesperson for the store said.

"However we listen to feedback, wherever it comes from, and we’ve already promised to assess this line at its next formal review”