COUNCIL leader Vivien Pengelly has criticised a city primary school's decision to ban bananas as being 'a bit over the top'.

Stoke Damerel Primary School has stopped children from bringing the fruit into school as one of its staff members has a life-threatening allergy to them.

It fears 'severe' health risks if that member of staff comes into contact with bananas.

But Cllr Pengelly told The Herald: "This is the first I have heard about this and it does sound a bit over the top to me.

"It's my experience as a head teacher that when there are allergies in a school we encourage children to manage the risk around them.

"I shall be asking officers to look at this particular case again to see whether anything else might be done."

Plymouth City Council has been involved with the ban – which has been in place for two years – but a spokesman said the authority was unable to reveal who has the allergy.

"A member of the school community has a severe life-threatening allergy to bananas and, on the advice of the council, the school has asked pupils not to bring them in," the spokesman said.

"These are very unusual circumstances but the school community has been supportive and understanding over the last two years."

Although questions are being raised about the ban, it will be lifted anyway once the individual who is affected leaves the school at the end of this term, it has emerged.

The city council spokesman said: "From September the individual affected will no longer be at the school and bananas will be back."

Another city council spokeswoman added: "We cannot comment on specific individuals because of medical confidentiality.

"Most people know that individuals can have allergic reactions to substances, with nut allergies being particularly well known.

"Reactions can be extreme in some cases, including anaphylactic shock, which can lead to collapse and even death.

"An allergy to bananas is more rare, but there is a recognised cross reaction between latex and some fruit – the latex-fruit syndrome – as latex and certain fruit may have the same protein in their make up.

"Latex, found in objects such as surgical gloves and balloons can also sometimes cause allergic reactions, of varying degrees of severity, in some people.

"People who react to latex may have a similar reaction to certain foods – and vice versa."