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A protest over "sexist" Tube adverts saw semi-naked women and men brave the chilly weather to descend on Hyde Park this afternoon.

Weight loss firm Protein World, whose "are you beach body ready?" adverts appeared across the Tube network for weeks until their agreed booking ran out, found itself the subject of criticism for promoting an unrealistic image of women's bodies.

Today a "taking back the beach" demonstration was expecting more than 1,000 people in various states of undress to inundate the park.

Plus-size fashion label Simply Be has produced a parody of the controversial advert while unofficial pastiches advertising products such as Belgian beer Leffe have also been doing the rounds.

The Simply Be spoof, with the message "every body is beach body ready", was shown on an advertising van driving around the park. Simply Be spokesman Ed Watson had said the Protein World advert was "at best outdated, at worst insulting".

He added: "We need to make people feel great about themselves and this poster does the opposite."

The protest's four organisers said on the Facebook event page, which claimed 1,000 people had accepted invitations: "This was never about suggesting that people shouldn’t try to get fit if they want to.

"If having rippling abs is your thing, more power to you.

"But I’m so tired of it being an expectation. The idea that your body should be covered up and hidden away if it doesn’t meet these bizarrely specific requirements - I’m over it, you guys.

"And judging by the response we’ve gotten on Twitter, it looks like you are too."

The Protein World posters have been taken down by Transport for London after their booked advertising period ended.

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned them and is investigating whether they break offence rules or are socially irresponsible.