'Would he say the same about black people?'

Peter Kay has offended gypsies by using offensive terms in his stand-up show.

The Bolton comic described someone as looking like "one of those gyppos off the Walzters" in his video Live At The Top Of The Tower.

But Romanies are furious that he is making a stereotype out of ethnic minorities.

Kay's comments came as he describes how he was picking up his luggage from an airport carousel when a lad - "right rough he were" - jumped onto the conveyor belt and started handing out the bags.

Genevieve Lutton, who comes from a gypsy background, said she found Kay "a really funny guy" - until she heard the comments.

She told Chortle: "My family are Romany gypsies and very proud of it, we are neither rough looking nor do we work on a fairground - fair workers are not gypsies.

"It's such a shame that Peter Kay feels that it OK to make such offensive comments about us, would he say the same about black people?"

"Maybe Mr Kay isn't aware of how offensive comments of this nature can be, because after all it's 'only' gypsies that he's talking about.

"The Romanies are a very ancient and proud race of people who have suffered persecution for thousands of years - let's try to put an end to it."

Peter Kay's management have not commented on the complaint.

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Published: 5 Dec 2002