Taking photos of breastfeeding mothers in public without their consent is to be made a crime in England and Wales, BBC News reported.

UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the move would stop women being "pestered, whether it's for self-gratification or for harassment purposes."

Campaigners welcomed the decision, calling it "a victory for breastfeeding mothers."

The law will form part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill going through Parliament.

Raab also confirmed another amendment to the bill to give victims of domestic abuse more time to report crimes to police, and "plug gaps" in the law that risks offenders escaping justice.

He confirmed the six-month time limit in cases of common assaults involving domestic abuse will be extended, after the BBC revealed almost 13,000 such cases in England and Wales had been dropped in the past five years.