Chavrolet forced to check out.

A motorised rickshaw designed in the famous Burberry check has been forced off the road after the fashion house threatened legal action for infringing its copyright.

The so-called Chavrolet was one of 12 individually-designed tuktuks launched in Brighton and Hove in July as an alternative form of public transport.

The Chavrolet was voted the most popular design by the public when operator TucTuc Ltd unveiled the rickshaws. But it has emerged that it has run into legal problems with Burberry, the international fashion house whose distinctive check has won devotees among Britain's so-called "chav" population.

A spokeswoman for TucTuc Ltd said it was forced to withdraw the Chavrolet yesterday after receiving a letter from Burberry's London office highlighting a breach of its copyright.

TucTuc Ltd's executive director Dominic Ponniah, 26, said: "We agreed to change it after Burberry complained to us. The issue has been resolved amicably."

The Chavrolet tuktuk will be redesigned in a different style before returning to the roads.

TucTuc Ltd paid pounds 2,000 for each of the 12 vehicles imported from Bombay before spending a further pounds 2,500 on modifying each rickshaw.

Burberry states on its website: "Anyone who uses our name, our Equestrian Knight Device or a check identical with or confusingly similar to our Burberry Check without our permission is infringing our trademarks and will hear from our lawyers."