‘DISGUSTING internet trolls’ posting candid photographs of unsuspecting victims on Facebook for others to abuse have been slammed.

Several ‘50 shades of...’ groups for towns in East Lancashire have appeared on the social networking site encouraging ‘fans’ to upload embarrassing pictures.

Some of the images posted are of vulnerable teenagers while some poke fun at physically disabled people.

Vile comments are left and, in some cases, the victims ‘tagged’ on the post - making them aware of what is being said.

It comes as calls were made nationally this week for social networking sites to clampdown on abuse.

Despite their content, more than 42,000 Facebook users have ‘liked’ the groups, which include sites for Blackburn, Accrington, Darwen and Ribble Valley.

They have attracted comments such as ‘what a dog’ about a teenage girl, ‘oh my God my eyes’ about a customer in McDonalds and ‘surely not even a mother could love that’ about a young woman dressed in a tutu.

The ‘50 shades of Accrington’ site was created a week ago and already has more than 6,000 members.

One picture showed a woman on a night out pulling a face.

She later defended herself from the abuse she was receiving on the site and wrote: “Some people need to get a life, plenty of people get drunk and have embarrassing pictures.”

Another girl pleaded with users to report a photo of her in a bid to get it removed. Despite several users saying they had done so - it remained online.

A picture on the Burnley site was quickly identified as a local woman purportedly suffering from special needs but the abuse continued.

Several people said they had reported the image, which ‘had crossed a line’, but it remained online.

One user wrote: “I have reported it several times but nothing has been done. It needs to be banned before it gets out of hand.”

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones called for a change in the law to protect victims of abuse.

He said: “We are in an era in which trolls and keyboard warriors have no respect for the law or for other people and think offending people is all right.

“There’s a need for reform but it will be difficult.

“I would want to see people sending abusive, insulting or degrading comments of a serious nature in a public forum held to account.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw, a former Labour Home and Justice Secretary, called on Facebook to take the appropriate action.

He said: “This is unpleasant and abusive. It is another example of the abuse and misuse of the internet and social media which is a rapidly growing problem.

“If there are any of my constituents who have featured unwillingly on these sites, they should get in touch with me and I shall pass their details onto Facebook and ask for them to be removed.”

Katie Dowd, 26, from Colne, set up a page to name and shame the bullies, ‘50 shades of bullying’, after seeing somebody she knew on one of the sites.

She said: “It got me angry. People are being called druggies and being bullied by people they don’t know.

“Somebody messaged me saying they reported a picture of a naked girl, who looked underage, on the 50 shades of Nelson page - which has since been taken down.

“People have nothing better to do with their time. Nobody is perfect and it’s a silly thing to be doing, sat behind a computer bullying other people.”

A spokesman for Facebook said the pages did not break its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. The police declined to comment.