CAMPAIGNERS have told of their disappointment after The Sun re-instated its topless Page 3 feature – only two days after it was thought to have been cancelled.

Lucy Holmes, from Hove, who started the No More Page 3 group, told of her joy earlier this week when it appeared the 45-year tradition had finished.

For five days, topless models did not appear on the page and were replaced instead by women in bikinis, lingerie and adverts. However, the newspaper refused to confirm or deny anything about the change.

Yesterday, a headline on the front page, accompanied by a picture of a model, read: “We have had a mammary lapse.”

No More Page 3 slammed the play on words.

Others on social media accused the paper of goading critics of the feature.

On page three of yesterday’s paper Nicola, 22, from Bournemouth, put to bed any suggestion the feature had been stopped.

Under a title “clarification and corrections”, a piece of editorial said: “Further to recent reports in all other media outlets, we would like to clarify that this is Page 3 and this is a picture of Nicole, 22, from Bournemouth.

"We would like to apologise on behalf of the print and broadcast journalists who have spent the last two days talking and writing about us.”

In an interview with another national newspaper yesterday, a spokeswoman for No More Page 3, said: “We are disappointed but we will continue the campaign as usual.

“They are continuing to use women to sell newspapers as they have done for 45 years.

“We feel badly for the groups that supported us, the teaching unions, breast cancer charities, Rape Crisis, the nurses, midwives and the Girl Guides. Anything that opens up the debate about media sexism is a good thing.”