Confectionery fans have been reacting to the news that one of Nestle's Quality Street toffees has been replaced by a new honeycomb-infused chocolate.

Dismayed customers took to Twitter to ask the food giant why the Toffee Deluxe was missing, replaced by the Honeycomb Crunch, and were told it was a case of "too many toffees".

In reply to one customer, Nestle tweeted: "We've removed Toffee Deluxe from the Quality Street range following consumer research and replaced it with our new Honeycomb Crunch."

As consumers caught wind of the news that the dark brown wrapped sweet had been replaced by one with a lighter brown wrapper, it sparked a debate, with one disappointed fan saying: "Christmas will never be the same again."

Sadie Marie wrote on Twitter: "Since when were there too many toffees in Quality Street - who complained?"

Andy Watt exclaimed: "Forget the #gbbo fallout, this is the most shocking 'light' news story of the week! Hang your head in shame @Nestle."

One toffee deluxe advocate, Joanne Warner, even launched a petition for the chocolate-covered hard toffee to return.

But while the chocolate, which replaced the Malt Toffee in 2011, is no longer part of Quality Street's main collection, Nestle reassured customers it would still be available in the Quality Street Toffee and Fudge pack.

A Nestle spokesman said: "We wanted to celebrate Quality Street's 80th birthday by introducing the first new sweet for nearly a decade.

"We did extensive research and found that the Honeycomb Crunch was the most popular option for a new sweet and that many people felt there were enough toffee-based sweets in the collection, so the Toffee Deluxe made way."

Quality Street, a selection of chocolates that originally came in tins but are now more likely to be found in a plastic box, first hit the shelves in 1936 and were named after a play by Peter Pan author JM Barrie.