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Women are being told to contact police if they feel threatened at having their picture used in a blog of female passengers eating on the Underground.

A Facebook page entitled 'Women Who Eat on Tubes' is inviting people to upload pictures of strangers, with users including details of what time and on which lines photographs have been taken.

The page says it is "not judgemental" adding: "We celebrate and encourage women eating food on tubes, we do not marginalise them."

But when a journalist whose picture was uploaded to the site posted an article complaining that "it felt like a way to humiliate me", she was met with criticism on social networks.

"Some people love being offended don't they," one user wrote on the page, which has more than 14,000 members. "It's like they'd twist everything in order for it to offend them or oppress them or something."

Another added: "Reeks of a smalltime writer desperate for an idea to write about."

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Transport for London has now said it is not illegal to take pictures on the Tube - but urged people to have "common sense and respect for other passengers".

Director of Enforcement and On-Street Operations Steve Burton added: "If someone doesn’t want their photo taken it is obviously inappropriate to do so.

"If any customer has concerns about such behaviour, believing there may be a sinister motive, they are advised to speak to our staff or the British Transport Police."

Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch said people should be able to seek redress if they don't want their picture on such pages.

Deputy Director Emma Carr added: "It’s not realistic to expect social networks to police whether photographs have been taken with consent, but there is clearly a need to look at situations where people are creating forums to encourage and share photos taken without permission."