By CLEMMIE MOODIE

Last updated at 08:38 16 September 2006

Teetering along on their stick-thin legs, they look like they haven't had a square meal in years.

But today's breed of size-zero supermodels might be advised to develop a taste for pie and chips as pressure grows to ban too-skinny girls from the catwalk.

Gallery: See more fashion pictures...

•Super-skinny models fuel zero size trend



•Olympus Fashion Week



•Italian Vogue "terror" fashion shoot

A few days ago in Madrid, it was announced that only healthy-looking mannequins would be permitted to strut their stuff at the city's annual style event. Anyone with a body mass index of less than 18 was banned.

Now organisers of London Fashion Week, which begins on Monday, are being urged to impose similar rules.

That would leave in-demand models such as Lily Cole, Erin O'Connor, Alek Wek and Eva Herzigova kicking their heels.

But health agencies are adamant that legal steps must be taken to protect the health of the catwalk queens.

Steve Bloomfield, a spokesman for the Eating Disorders Association, said: "We do think legislation is needed.

"This is about protecting the young women and men who work in the fashion industry, as well as those who are at risk of an eating disorder and can be influenced by the pictures that they see.

"The fashion industry is there to make money and there is no legislation to protect models. It basically exploits people who are underweight and forces others to follow suit."

The Madrid initiative followed the death of 22-year-old Luisel Ramos during a fashion show in Uruguay last month. The emaciated model died of a heart attack moments after stepping off the catwalk - a result of having eaten nothing but green leaves, washed down with Diet Coke, for three months.

To put the Madrid limits into context, a BMI of 18.5 or below is classed as underweight by the World Health Organisation.

A model who is 5ft 9in would have to weigh a minimum 8st 12lb to be classed as healthy.

At present, the average 5ft 9in catwalk model weighs a mere 7st 12lb - a BMI of only 16.

'A lot to be said for beautiful curves'

And Spain's best-known model Esther Canadas, with an estimated BMI of only 14, failed to qualify for the show by a wide margin.

The world's fashion capital, Milan, is proposing to impose similar rules with the city's mayor, Letizia Moratti, confirming as much this week.

Sarah Watkinson, managing director of the outsize modelling agency 12 Plus UK, agrees that legislation is needed to protect the health of models - and those aspiring to emulate their favourite catwalk stars.

"I definitely encourage any formal move made to promote the use of curvy, healthy-looking women on the catwalks," she said.

"One of the biggest problems is that some designers especially like to use incredibly thin girls to wear their clothes because they like the shock aspect. These days more and more very skinny, size zero models are being used.

"It would be far better to have women of a realistic size and weight on the catwalk who look healthy and purport to a healthy body image. It is vital for schoolgirls who might aspire to look like these models to have a range of size 10, 12 and 14 women to look towards, instead of comparing themselves with women who look starved.

"There is a lot to be said for beautiful curves."

The Storm agency, which discovered Kate Moss, begged to differ. A spokesman dismissed the planned rules as "useless" while claiming that the company would not use "someone who was really underweight or too thin."

A spokesman for designer Allegra Hicks said: "We would never dream of using models under a British size 10.

"A ban on the size zero model should be compulsory across the fashion industry. Size zero is not feminine and not healthy."

Asda uses Coleen McLoughlin - a size 12 with a BMI of over 20 - as the face of its George clothing range. A spokesman said: "The reason we use Coleen is that she is real. Customers are aspirational but they want to be able to identify with our models. Banning size zero models is the way forward."

A spokesman for the fashion house Biba said: "It is beyond my comprehension that we would want to show girls on the catwalk who have the BMI of a ten-year-old.

"I agree with what they have done in Spain and think it should be emulated here. We use a lot of young models but certainly not a size zero."