Privacy groups contest Google Street View images

A predictable backlash against Google Street View UK has been launched by privacy groups which has led to dozens of pictures being removed from the newly launched mapping service.

Despite efforts made by Google to blur faces and registration plates in images from the service, several images, including those of a man emerging from a Soho sex shop and another of a man vomiting outside a pub in Shoreditch, east London, have been wiped from the maps following complaints.

Critics have described the service as intrusive and voyeuristic, also suggesting Street View could be used to plan sophisticated crimes.

A Google spokesperson has claimed the number of images it has had to remove has been "less than expected", adding that "we have had lots of people asking when we will be going to their street."

Lodging a complaint about an image has been made as simple as clicking a "report a concern" link on any content a user may find offensive or take issue with.

An online form has also been provided for individuals to express that they would not like their home to be included in the maps.