NATIONAL chain Superdrug has withdrawn a punch-bag from sale after a Taunton-based charity complained it endorsed domestic violence against men.

The store has apologised and will donate profits it made from the item to the ManKind Initiative, on East Reach, which supports male victims of violence in the home.

The set, called HERS, consists of an inflatable punch-bag shaped like a man with a pair of boxing gloves and sold for £4.99, down from £9.99.

The owner is encouraged to stick a man's photo on the face and there are instructions to hit him in the head and kick him in the groin.

ManKind chairman Mark Brooks said: "As a charity that receives hundreds of calls a year from distressed men suffering from domestic violence, it's disgraceful that a national retailer like Superdrug should be openly selling products encouraging such acts.

"We demanded that they remove the offensive gifts' immediately and were delighted they did so in a responsible fashion.

"The fact that Superdrug rightly doesn't sell a similar product encouraging domestic violence against women or violence against animals suggested violence against a man is more acceptable.

"This is characteristic of the brick wall that male victims face in terms of lack of support, understanding and acceptance."

A Superdrug spokeswoman said the product was withdrawn from stores and its website after it received the complaint from ManKind last Friday.

"We apologise if any offence has been caused by selling this product," she added.

"That was never our intention and we withdrew the product immediately.

"We will be donating profits from the sale of the product to the ManKind Initiative."