PLANS to ban people from taking “upskirt” photographs are due to be put to MPs later this year.

An amendment to the Voyeurism Offences Bill has been scheduled that would make the cruel craze a specific offence in its own right .

It comes as the first figures on the prevalence of upskirting – published by the Press Association last month – showed girls as young as ten among the alleged victims, targeted in public locations such as restaurants and at festivals.

Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse, who has tabled the Bill, said such a move would allow the law to “catch up with technology”. She said: “It is, on the face of it, a vile, discriminating and outrageous practice.”

According to the draft Bill, a person would be convicted of upskirting if they take an image or video beneath a victim’s clothing, to view genitals or undergarments, without consent. The image would fall foul of the law if it was used for sexual gratification or if it caused humiliation, distress or alarm to the victim. A suspect could be convicted even if they failed to capture an image – the intention to film would be enough for prosecution.

Bath MP Ms Hobhouse said anyone convicted of upskirting could face a two-year jail term at crown court. She said she was due to meet with Victoria Atkins, minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, in the week before the Bill is due to garner support. She said: “Everybody seems to say: ‘what reason would there be to be against it? I hope also to persuade the minister (Ms Atkins) to take a kindly look on this small change of law.

“Nobody has said anything against it. The main person to get on board is the minister. She was very open-minded about discussing this. Hopefully it will run in an open door. People can be obnoxious or party political about it but I think a sensible look at this will just simply lead to having that change in the law.

“If people want to be that stuck-in-the-mud about it and say: ‘oh, it’s the Lib Dems proposing it and that’s why I’m against it’, that would be a very silly argument. Any objection would just be party political, I think. I can’t think anybody in their right mind would be against it. It is actually just a very small change in the law and would make a big difference to thousands of women who currently are unprotected and suffer harm.”

Labour MP Richard Burgon, who has campaigned on the issue, said: “Thanks to the tireless work of campaigners, upskirting is an issue that politicians are starting to take more seriously. Every opportunity to raise this important issue in Parliament is welcome.

“Sadly, backbench bills of this kind very rarely become law. It is governments that drive forward legislation but this Conservative government is dragging its feet on making upskirting a specific criminal offence.

“Six months ago the Conservatives committed to looking into outlawing this disgraceful, intrusive and abusive practice. The Government should know that the pressure will continue to mount to ensure that the law is changed.

“The Conservatives should do the right thing now and come forward with legislation. If they do, Labour will support them. If they continue to fail women, then Labour will enact measures to outlaw upskirting when we come to office.”

Clare McGlynn, professor of law at Durham University, said: “This is a very welcome first step towards modernising our laws. But more needs to be done. Upskirt images taken for financial gain or entertainment still won’t be covered. Sharing upskirt images will only be covered where the perpetrator did so to cause direct distress to the victim. Photoshopped images are not covered, nor are threats to distribute without consent.

“The current law is a patchwork of out-of-date and often confusing provisions. It focuses too much on the motives of perpetrators, rather than on the harms to victims. It grants anonymity to some victims (voyeurism) but not to others (revenge porn).”We need a comprehensive and modern law and one that supports victims.”