Sun down: Essex University union bans sale of 'The Sun'

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Bare breasts and news no longer mix at the University of Essex, as the students’ union has banned The Sun and The Star from its campus shop.

The papers were removed from the store today, as the University becomes the twentieth to ban the papers as part of the No More Page 3 campaign.

Chantel Le Carpentier, Essex union’s vice-president for welfare , who made the final decision, has been covering the papers with anti-page 3 stickers all week.

“Newspapers should show a balanced representation of society, but what we are seeing is men being represented in the business, politics and sport sections, and women represented on the third page, half naked,” she said.

The stickers, used on the front pages and on any revealing pictures of women, were emblazoned with the phrase “Boobs aren’t news”.

The union says it will not sell The Sun or The Star again until they stop “devaluing women”.

The decision to ban the papers was made at a union council meeting last year and was triggered by the coverage of the London Olympics.

“We had fantastic female athletes, Jessica Ennis, Ellie Simmonds etc. but the biggest representation of women in The Sun during the Olympics was still half-naked women,” said Le Carpentier, 21.

“We're part of a society that is trying to empower the next generation of women. How can we show them that they are amazing individuals capable of anything when they are judged by their appearance rather than their skills and personality?”

She added: “The Sun and The Star market themselves as newspapers and frankly, boobs just aren’t news.”

The shop sold around 20 copies of The Sun each day, and just a few copies of The Star.

Other universities to ban the papers over the page 3 row include Sheffield, Manchester and the London School of Economics.