Thomas the Tank Engine fans warned not to refer to The Fat Controller

THOMAS the Tank Engine fans went off the rails after being warned not to refer to The Fat Controller.

Visitors to a tourist attraction were told fat is a “slur” so he should be called by his real name, Sir Topham Hatt.

One dad said: “We were talking about The Fat Controller when a staff member stepped in.

“In no uncertain terms we were told no one could use such a slur.”

Another visitor to the Watercress Line, a ten-mile heritage railway near Winchester, Hants, said: “Staff said he belongs to another era.

“Common sense has hit the buffers.”

Also there was TalkTV host Jeremy Kyle, who said: “Know the bloke who controls the Thomas the Tank Engine trains? The Fat Controller.

“But you can’t say that any more.”

The Fat Controller was first named in the Thomas books in 1946.

A woke revamp for the new TV series saw gender-balanced and multi­cultural characters.

The Watercress Line was approached for comment.