Facebook owner Meta said it has removed a large number of groups and accounts which were sharing upskirting content following a BBC News investigation into the issue.

The TV report found images and videos of upskirting being shared on the social media platform.

It said some content which was reported to Facebook by the investigation was not immediately removed, with the site saying it did not appear to breach its community standards.

However, Meta said it has now taken action against groups, individual accounts and hashtags linked to the content.

Facebook’s adult exploitation policies do not allow secretly taken images of a real person’s body parts to be posted to the platform, including photos or videos that mock, sexualise or expose the person depicted.

Upskirting was made a specific criminal offence in England and Wales in 2019.

In a statement, a Meta spokesman said the company knows “our work is never finished” on the issue.

“Sharing intimate images without consent, including upskirting, is not allowed on Facebook.

“Following the BBC’s investigation, we’ve removed a large number of groups and accounts, and have taken further action to block multiple associated hashtags.

“We know our work is never finished and we’ll continue to remove any violating content when we become aware of it.”

Social media sites have been repeatedly criticised over their handling of harmful content online, with campaigners calling for more to be done to improve content moderation and user safety across the platforms.

Tougher online safety laws are currently making their way through Parliament in the form of the Online Safety Bill, which once in effect could see the biggest social media platforms facing large fines or access to their sites blocked if they fail to protect users from harmful content.