Britain's Royal Navy is reported to have secretly banned the display of photographs of The Sun's
Page 3 girls in the sailors' locker doors and stowage containers.
As many as 39,000 personnel have been ordered to desist from collecting the topless pictures of girls.
Sailors who are found to flout the ban will be liable for fines.
"The lads are fuming," the tabloid quoted a sailor as saying.
A decision to outlaw pin-ups of pictures of topless girls was taken last month at a meeting of the Admiralty Board, which comprised of Defence Secretary Des Browne and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band.
"Pictures displayed at the workplace are to be selected bearing in mind the potential that they may cause offence," said the board in its ruling.
"No inappropriate pictures or photographs are to be displayed on the insides of locker doors or other stowage containers," the board added.
A similar ban was imposed by the Navy in December 2004, but was ditched just two months later after mass protests.
Meanwhile, Page 3 beauties Ruth and Mel have slammed the Navy's decision to ban topless lovelies. They met sailors in Portsmouth, Hants, on Sunday to lead demands that the latest ban be overturned.
"It's ludicrous. What on earth is wrong with the lads having a Page 3 photo on their wall to brighten up their lives?" Ruth said.
"Navy bosses are being meanies. It's crazy to ban topless pictures in this day and age. Girls often go topless on the beach, what harm is a photo on a wall? We get loads of fanmail from the services so we know how much they appreciate us," said Mel.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Defence, however, says that the Navy has not imposed any such ban."The Navy has not banned Page 3 and has no intention of doing so. The Royal Navy has long encouraged sailors to respect the views of others. This includes when choosing pictures to display in public areas. Showing respect for each other is one part of what makes the Royal Navy a great team," said the statement.
Here's a picture of
Keeley Hazell, one of most popular page 3 girls.