AARDMAN Animations is removing a scene from its latest movie comedy after being accused of poking fun at leprosy victims.

The Bristol-based creators of Wallace and Gromit faced a backlash led by leprosy charity LEPRA Health in Action over a scene in the new movie The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists, in which a sailor's arm falls off on a "leper-boat".

In a statement announcing the change, Aardman said: "The last thing anyone intended was to offend anyone and it is clear to us that the right way to proceed is to honour the efforts made by organisations like LEPRA and the World Health Organisation to educate the public about this disease."

A trailer for the animated adventure, featuring the voices of Hugh Grant and Brian Blessed, sparked a furore. The charity claimed audiences in India and Brazil, where the disease has millions of sufferers, had already complained. But the scene's removal was also criticised yesterday as an over-reaction just to appease a vocal minority.

Laura Midgley, from pressure group the Campaign Against Political Correctness, said: "It sounds like Aardman is losing its sense of humour.

"It can only be because they are trying to stop any criticism at all. We could have had a bit more common sense."