It might not be a turkey's favourite time of year, but one animal lover is crying fowl' over a toy that she says encourages children to throttle a gobbler.

Former childcare worker Susan Coulter, 42, spotted the toys, Choke a Turkey' or Choke a Duck', when she was doing her Christmas shopping at Wilkinson's in Kirkgate, Shipley.

The £9.99 toy dances and flaps its wings to The Birdie Song until the child grabs it by the neck and squeezes. Then it screams and clucks loudly, flapping its wings, while gagging and choking.

Susan, of Wellington Crescent, Shipley, said the toys will have a terrible "psychological" effect on children and is calling for them to be banned.

She said: "The child puts its hands around the throat and it gives authentic screams. It is the worst idea to give children about the way to treat animals.

"Children should be educated about animals and the way to treat them. This is just sadism and it needs to be stopped somewhere along the line."

Ms Coulter, a shop assistant in department store Debenhams, said there is "no way" shops should even consider selling the toys as Christmas presents.

She told the Telegraph & Argus she had telephoned Wilkinson's customer service line three times since she discovered the toys on sale, but she had been told that the toys would not be removed from the shelves.

A spokesman for Wilkinson said there had been "positive sales" for the Choke a Duck and Choke a Chicken this year.

However, Ms Coulter said: "I can't bear the thought of a child being given it. It seems to me that they have imported the toys from the Far East where they have less respect for animals.

"I think it is irresponsible for an outlet like Wilkinson to sell them.

"About 12 years ago, a swan was strangled on the canal in Shipley. I contacted Harewood House and Lord Harewood's gamekeeper wanted to take them there. The locals reacted with horror and they were kept by the canal. Selling these birds is asking for something similar to happen again.

"I support a lot of animal welfare groups but I also support a lot of child groups. The damage to animals is terrible but the damage to the child is as well."

Her calls for a ban have been backed by the RSPCA. A spokesman for the animal care charity said there was nothing it could do to force a ban because the toys are not illegal. But she said: "We are totally against them."

The Wilkinson spokesman said: "Our product range is constantly under review and where we view a product to be inappropriate for sale or posing trading standards issues it is immediately dropped from the range in all stores.

"Wilkinson is one of a number of retailers that sells this product and has seen very positive sales on this product for this year."