Mums have claimed victory after sex shop Ann Summers took down a raunchy Halloween window display that lay opposite Mothercare in the St Nicholas Centre, writes Sean Morrison.

Your Local Guardian:

Raunchy: The now-removed Ann Summers display in the St Nicholas Centre

The Child’s Eye Line group, which campaigns against sexual imagery, had complained the underwear and sex toy chain’s poster, which showed a corset-clad woman about to whip another, mostly-naked woman, was “pushing boundaries”.

But an Ann Summers spokeswoman said the display – used in all its 138 stores – had been taken down because Halloween was over, not because of the campaign.

She added: “It is never our intention to cause offence.

“However, we believe our latest campaign portrays a positive message to our customers, as it encourages and empowers women to feel sexually confident.”

Child’s Eye Line founder Kathy McGuinness said: “Empowering women is totally irrelevant. We are talking about protecting children, which is a completely different issue.

“They are pushing boundaries to try and drive up sales.”