Patients at a British hospital got their much desired hot cross buns on Monday rather than Easter Sunday after many of them complained to a local newspaper about not receiving them.

The hospital authorities decided to do away with the bun distribution on Good Friday to avoid offending non-Christian patients.

The workers from the Devon hospital wrote to a local paper, "We, the kitchen staff of Poole Hospital, were disgusted to find that the patients were not getting hot cross buns this morning."

That led to the authorities to issue an apology, along with buns on Monday. There have been earlier instances also when hot cross buns, which are topped with a cross symbolizing Christ's crucifixion, have stirred controversy.

Many local authorities in England, including the London borough of Tower Hamlets, in 2003 banned schools from serving the snacks due to political correctness.