You've been framed by Google's Street View

GOOGLE today removed dozens of pictures from its new Street View service because of privacy concerns.

Areas of London have been "blacked out" leaving a blank screen after complaints from homeowners or pedestrians captured by Google's cameras. Images removed include several homes, and one picture showing a man emerging from a sex shop in Soho.

Street View contains millions of pictures of London and other cities, allowing users to zoom in on homes, sometimes even through windows. One image which has been removed is of a man vomiting outside a pub in Shoreditch. The screen now just says: "This image is no longer available." However, by changing the position from which the scene can be viewed, the Evening Standard was easily able to view the man being sick from a different angle. Another image of a man being arrested in Camden is still available.

A Google spokeswoman said: "We cannot give out numbers for the complaints we have received but we are dealing with them and blacking out the images within hours. We know the service is not perfect, but we are relying on users to tell us where there are problems. We are happy to remove any images people are not happy with."

The service, launched 24 hours ago, has already been hugely popular. Google said that "hundreds of thousands" of viewers had tried the site and figures from monitoring company Hitwise show that yesterday was the Google Map site's busiest day in the UK and the 20th most-visited site overall. Google Maps UK received 1 in every 250 UK internet visits.

At yesterday's launch the company pledged to blur all faces and numberplates using special software. However, a Standard investigation found dozens of recognisable faces and clearly visible registrations today. A spokesman for the Information Commissioner's Office today said it will investigate any complaints.

"The ICO is satisfied that Google is putting in place adequate safeguards to minimise any risk to the privacy or safety of individuals," he said. "Individuals who have raised concerns with Google and who do not think they have received a satisfactory response can raise that concern with the ICO."

Google's Ed Parsons accepted today that the blurring "sometimes does not work completely" but insisted that it was 99.9per cent effective.

The internet giant is already facing a threat of legal action from human rights campaigners and Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, called today for the Government to take action over the service. The Liberal Democrat will be writing to ministers and said: "I have no problem with people who want their home on this. But it should be opt in."

Google has also admitted having hidden several surprises around London - a "Where's Wally" character in Putney High Street and several life-sized Paddington Bears.