An Oxford University professor has been given security guards to accompany her to lectures after receiving threats from transgender activists.

Prof Selina Todd, a historian who specialises in the lives of women and the working class, said that she has now been provided with “routine security” to ensure she is not attacked.

The academic - who has been accused of being a “transphobe” for her involvement in women’s rights advocacy – was told by her students that she was potentially in danger.

“Two students came to see me and said they were very worried that threats had been made to me on email networks they were part of,” Prof Todd told The Telegraph.

“The university investigated the threats and came back to me to say their intelligence on them is such that they are providing me security for all of my lecturers for the rest of this year. They said 'you're having two men in the rest of your lectures'.”

At her most recent undergraduate lecture, a handful of students arrived in trans activists T-shirts, who she believed had come to cause trouble.

But the presence of “two big burly guys” at the back of the lecture theatre was likely to have put them off from any protests, she added.

Prof Todd said that transgender activists started making complaints about her on the basis that her teaching of feminist history was “transphobic”.

“My research suggests that women who posed as men in the past were often lesbians seeking to protect themselves, or because they want to do jobs that were only available to men,” she said.

“The first complaint that was made against me was to say that I was transphobic because it would be impossible for a transgender student to be taught by me.”

Prof Todd said that the history faculty now receives “daily” complaints from activists calling for her to be sacked, which has left her feeling unnerved.

“I get frightened by the threats in lectures,” she said. “You can't help but worry. It's had a huge impact on me. You don’t expect to be defending yourself the whole time from complaints or threats of violence.”

She said that the history faculty have been hugely supportive of her, including referring her for counselling to help deal with the stress.

But Prof Todd urged the university to take a stronger stance in disciplining students who are making threats and malicious complaints against her.

“It would be far more helpful if the university could take robust action against the people making these threats in the first place,” she said.

Earlier this week an Oxford college rowed back on its code of conduct for a transgender discussion following criticism that it was closing down free speech.

Merton College was accused of adopting a “draconian” stance over its plans to host a discussion about transgender issues which bans “language which denies the validity of trans identity”.

Yet in order to reserve a place at the event, attendees must sign up to a code of conduct which states they must “refrain from using language or putting forward views intended to undermine the validity of trans and gender diverse identities”.

Following an outcry from academics, the College removed the code of conduct from the event page and replaced it with a statement in support of free speech.

An Oxford University spokesman said: “We cannot comment on individual arrangements. However when staff raise concerns with us, the university will always review the circumstances and offer appropriate support to ensure their safety and their freedom of expression.”