NEW Year celebrations could literally go with a bang in North-East households when some cans of tinned hotdogs are opened.

The Food Standards Agency has issued an alert following the recall of some varieties of the sausages by the Lidl and Asda store chains.

Shoppers are advised to avoid 400g cans of Smart Price, Dulano and Chira hot- dog sausages.

Suspect cans of the products, which are made by the same Dutch manufacturer, have resulted in complaints of fizzing, smelling strange and even exploding on opening.

It is believed that bacterial growth in the products has caused the unexpected reaction on opening.

Affected cans of Smart Price sausages, available at Asda branches, have a best before date of September 2003, while the Dulano and Chira cans, lines offered by Lidl, are best before September 2004.

Environmental health officials at Sunderland City Council have passed on the warning as three branches of the stores lie within the city boundary.

They urged householders to check their cupboards and return any of the suspect cans to the relevant store.

If in doubt, they should contact the environmental health department during normal working hours over the holiday period, on 0191-553 1661.