Bum deal for Britney

Not one to be shy about revealing a bit of flesh, Britney Spears is rarely pictured without her thong peeking out above her ultra low-slung jeans.

But when the princess of pop returns to her home state of Louisiana, she will have to cover up her G-strings - or face six months in jail.

Under a proposed new law, anyone caught exposing skin or 'intimate clothing' below their trousers could be fined £300 or jailed.

The Bill was put forward by state legislator Derrick Shepherd, who was sick of seeing girls' underwear on display.

He moaned: 'If parents can't do their job, if they can't regulate what their children wear, then there should be a

law.' But Joe Cook, head of the US Civil Liberties Union, pointed out that many workers, such as plumbers, inadvertently exposed their bottoms.

Tamasin Doe, fashion director of InStyle magazine, said: 'It's so ironic that this is Britney's home state - she is the princess of the hipster and she pretty much introduced it to girls everywhere.'

Spears, however, refused to be drawn into the row. Her spokeswoman said: 'She's not the spokesperson for lowslung jeans so she certainly won't be commenting on this.'

Who said the law was an ass?