The bizarre costume sparked outrage. Photo / Supplied
Warning: This story contains images of a sexual nature
A UK library has apologised after outraged parents raised objections to a man dressed as a bare-bottomed monkey appeared at an event to promote children's reading.
The performer also sported a fake penis.
After photos of the event appeared online, disgruntled parents were quick to register their disgust.
"This is unbelievable. Have we completely lost our moral compass as a society?" one asked.
"Someone needs to lose their job over this," another added.
The event was part of a "Summer Reading Challenge" run by Redbridge Council in East London.
Redbridge Libraries later apologised for the "inappropriate" costume.
Redbridge Labour councillor Jas Athwal tweeted: "I was appalled by the incident in Redbridge Libraries on Saturday.
"Completely inappropriate and deeply offensive performers were hired by independent contractor Vision who manage Redbridge libraries and leisure centres.
"As soon as I was made aware of the performers, I immediately contacted Vision and the event was stopped.
"I have launched a full and thorough investigation into how these performers were hired by Vision and will put stringent measures in place to ensure something like this can't happen again."
Local MP Wes Streeting also said he was "deeply concerned" and has written a letter to Visions asking how the company thought the costume was appropriate for "family audiences".
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