Overview
- Animal rights group PETA asked Preston City Council to replace hens' eggs with dyed potatoes at the Avenham Park roll.
- The council declined to mandate a change, saying visitors decide what to send down the hill.
- PETA argues potatoes are cheaper, healthier and more sustainable, and says many hens live in dark, dirty sheds despite labels like free-range or organic.
- The free Easter Monday gathering draws about 30,000 people, with rolling sessions each hour from 11am to 4pm and many families already using chocolate eggs.
- Advocates say a Preston switch could shape other public egg rolls, echoing PETA's past push for a White House "Potato Roll" in the United States.