Internet message board Reddit has banned one of the most long-standing and controversial areas of its site.

The 'incels' sub-section was a place where men who felt it was women's fault they were celibate posted their thoughts and feelings about the female sex.

'Incel' stands for 'involuntarily celibate', and the community had 40,000 members.

The group was mainly for men, and the rules state: "Those who continuously claim there are as many female incels in the same situation as male incels will receive a warning and then a ban.

"Most can agree that women can be incel in some rare situations such as extreme disfigurement, but their numbers do not come close to male incels"

The posts made in the community were often violent or derogatory towards women, with some examples being: “all women are sluts”; “proof that girls are nothing but trash that use men” and “reasons why women are the embodiment of evil”.