Toy's up the pole

A toy pole dancer has been scrapped by Marks & Spencer just a week after it went on sale, following scores of protests from angry shoppers.

Store bosses had hoped the 8in-tall blonde, sporting a red bikini and matching red lipstick, would be a big Christmas hit. But they were forced into a hasty about-turn and cleared the £19.50 toy off their shelves after they were inundated with complaints that it was offensive.

The "USB pole dancer" is designed to be plugged into any personal computer and comes complete with her own silver pole to dance around, as well as multi-coloured lights and disco music to "recreate an authentic nightclub atmosphere".

Once she is switched on she goes through a gyrating routine with the help of a pre-installed backing track.

Instructions on the packaging, which has "Girls, Girls, Girls" printed in large lettering, say: "This fun pole dancer is powered directly from the USB port on your PC and will entertain you at any time of the day or night."

They continue: "As the music plays, the dancer spins around the pole, moving up and down."

But Tory MP Ann Widdecombe attacked it as "cheap and tawdry". She added: "I would think this type of product would be entirely counter-productive to the image of M&S. It won't suit most of the customers who go to M&S anyway, so why do it? It's not respectful towards women."

An M&S spokeswoman said last night: "The crux of the complaints was really that some people were offended by the product. It was marketed at adults and was clearly marked 'Not suitable for children'.