Madrid has moved to ban ‘manspreading’ on its public transport system after feminists convinced the city’s left-wing council that men invading the space of others with their splayed legs was a problem that needed to be tackled.

Madrid’s EMT transport corporation has unveiled a new set of stickers to be placed on all city buses including one of a male figure with his knees spread wide apart, accompanied by the slogan “Respect others’ space”.

The change comes about after a group called Mujeres en Lucha (Women at War) launched a social network campaign against ‘manspreading’ and presented a petition signed by 10,000 people to Madrid city hall.

"It's a question of culture. We women have always been told to occupy the least amount of space possible, and men haven't," said a leader of the anti-manspreading campaign, Alejandra de la Fuente.