London, April 14 : British supermarket giant Tesco is facing criticism for selling a padded plunge bra for seven-year-old girls.

The bra was put on sale alongside vests in the seven to eight-year-old age range.

Fashion lecturer David Morris was not very pleased with Tesco's idea and branded the 4-pound bust-booster as 'salacious'.

"I can imagine women being upset about their daughters buying these 'pocket money bras' without their mums knowing," The Sun quoted Morris, as saying.

"The bra is modelled on a plunge style - it has a very low bridge connecting the cups. It means the shape and position is lower to expose the breast tissue," he added.

Parent and teacher groups also slammed the Cherokee range and have called for its removal from the shelves.

Julie Stephens, mum-of-two, from Edmonton, North London, said: "I was shocked when I saw it on sale.

"A padded bra or an uplift bra aims to draw attention to a woman's cleavage. For a product like this to be aimed at children is appalling.

"Children grow up quickly enough as it is. The last thing they need is a product like this," she added.

A spokeswoman for National Union of Teachers said: "There is already too much pressure on children to appear grown up.

"Making products for young girls which encourage them to wear inappropriate and sexually provocative clothes is irresponsible - and merely adds to the pressure they are under.

"A padded bra for young girls is clearly inappropriate."

However, Tesco defended the bra.

"It is a product designed for girls at that self-conscious age when they are just developing," a spokesman for Tesco said.

"It is designed to cover up, not flatter, and was developed after speaking to parents.

"It is described as a padded bra for trade description reasons," he added.

ANI