Pub chain JD Wetherspoon deleted all of its social media profiles on Monday, with chairman Tim Martin citing the "current bad publicity surrounding social media, including the trolling of MPs and others" as one of the reasons behind the move.

The company closed down its Twitter and Facebook accounts, which had 44,000 and 100,000 followers, respectively, as well as its Instagram feed, for all of its 900 pubs and head office.

It added that recent concerns regarding the misuse of personal data, following the Facebook scandal, and the addictive nature of social media had influenced its decision.