North East council withdraws "sexist" leaflet

Stockton Borough Council has withdrawn a leaflet promoting cycling after it was branded sexist.

The offending advert shows a smiling male rider under the phrase "Sarah's shopping in Stockton with the girls. I'm signed up for Stockton's Sportive. That's Saturday sorted."

The leaflet was supposed to promote the town's cycling festival in July and an activity day known as Sportive, and only featured young, male riders in the photos.

Councillor Ken Dixon, Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, said: “This was one of a series of promotional materials designed to promote the Stockton Cycling Festival to a variety of audiences.

“It was certainly not our intention to imply that women and girls cannot participate in every part of the Festival and having listened to the concerns raised, we have decided to withdraw this particular leaflet and produce a redesigned version.