Burning all the shades of Grey

A charity that supports the victims of domestic violence, Wearside Women in Need, in Sunderland, has announced that it plans to burn copies of the hit new best seller, Fifty Shades of Grey . The charity feels that the novel glorifies the abuse of women, and has launched the Fifty Shades of Abuse campaign.

Claire Phillipson, director of Wearside Women in Need, said: 'It normalises abuse, degrades women and encourages sexual violence.'

She told BBC News: 'I do not think I can put into words how vile I think this book is and how dangerous I think the idea is that you get a sophisticated but naive, young women and a much richer, abusive older man who beats her up and does some dreadful things to her sexually.

'My main objection is that at a time when local authorities are making cuts to outreach and refuge services for women experiencing domestic violence, we have libraries wasting and grossly misusing public to buy a book which says: "domestic violence is sexy."