Image copyright PA

Women should regard wolf-whistling as a compliment, Joanna Lumley has said.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror, she said wolf-whistlers were saying: "Cor, you look all right darlin'." Ms Lumley added: "What's wrong with that?"

The 70-year-old - an actor, presenter, campaigner, and former model - claimed people had become "sensitive flowers" who were "very offended by everything".

In July, Nottinghamshire Police said wolf-whistling could be a hate crime.

In the interview, Ms Lumley said people had been "tougher" in the 1960s.

"When I was modelling, photographers were much ruder," she said.

"They'd say: 'You look frightful, what's the matter with you?', 'You look podgy, you look fat as a pig.'

"It was good-natured banter. You kind of got on with it, it didn't upset you."

'A bit of banter'

Last month, Nottinghamshire Police said they had recorded 11 misogynistic hate crimes since April, which covers offences including harassment, kidnapping, possession of weapons and causing public fear, alarm or distress.

There were also 19 misogynistic "hate incidents", which cover behaviour less serious than a criminal act such as name calling and offensive jokes.

In Worcester in April last year, a 23-year-old woman reported wolf-whistling builders to the police.

The police said it was a matter for the men's employers. A builder involved called the wolf-whistling "a bit of banter".

Ms Lumley was unavailable for comment when contacted by the BBC on Wednesday.