The British Food Standards Agency says four soft drinks are being pulled from the market because they contain high levels of benzene.

The four products include: Co-op's low calorie bitter lemon; Popstar's still sugar free lemon and lime drink; Morrisons' no added sugar pineapple and grapefruit crush; and Hyberry's high juice no added sugar blackcurrant squash.

They were found to exceed the World Health Organization's guidelines for safe benzene levels during a survey of 150 sodas.

Andrew Wadge, the FSA's Director of Food Safety, says "We found that levels in the vast majority of products tested were low and not a cause for concern."

He adds, "However, we are concerned about the levels in four drinks and have asked their manufacturers to remove the affected batches from sale."

The FSA says the benzene may have been produced due to the interaction between sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid.