Huge deodorant advert washed away

The giant image showed a man frolicking with two naked women

A giant advert for a man's deodorant painted on a field near Gatwick airport has been removed after complaints from local residents and environmentalists.

The image was located near Burstow, in Surrey, and was designed to be seen by thousands of airline passengers.

The 100,000 sq ft Lynx deodorant advert showed a man frolicking with two women.

The local council and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) had threatened legal action against the manufacturer Unilever.

'Summer fun'

The eye-catching advert was washed away by the company over the weekend.

A spokesman said the image, which showed a copy of the Cerne Abbas giant wearing a pair of underpants and clasping two naked women, was only intended to be a "bit of summer fun".

The CPRE joined Tandridge District Council in welcoming the decision to remove it.

Spokesman Paul Miner said: "We're not killjoys, but this advertisement would have set a nasty precedent.

"Do visitors flying into England, and people flying back home, really want their first view of our glorious countryside to be dominated by tacky adverts painted across green fields? We think not."

Tandridge council said the advertisers should have obtained prior consent from planners to portray the image.