A FITNESS instructor from Petts Wood has been forced to change the name of her company to avoid legal action from American TV giants.

Louise Whyte has dropped the name Penelope Fitstop after the threat of legal action from US cartoon makers Hanna-Barbera, the creators of the Penelope Pitstop character.

Mrs Whyte, a 38-year-old mum-of-two, says that when she launched her business 18 months ago she was advised the name Penelope Fitstop would not be a problem.

She said: “I was a huge fan of the Penelope Pitstop cartoon as a child so when it came to choosing a name I just thought the play on words would appeal to like-minded women.”

“I never thought for one minute I’d end up having to deal with the huge multi-national corporation.”