Watching porn on buses and trains should be banned to slash sexual harassment against women, a damning Commons report says today.

MPs said the Government should force train operators to block access to porn and amend bus regulations to prohibit viewing sexualised images on board.

The Women and Equalities report said the use of porn should be treated as a public health issue like smoking or tackling road safety.

And it slammed the Government for failing to address the “deeply ingrained” problem of sexual harassment in public which affects almost all women.

It found “routine and sometimes relentless” harassment of women and girls on the street and in parks, on public transport, in bars, clubs and universities, and online.

Women were forced to change the routes they travel home, take off headphones while running and switches train carriages to avoid “far reaching” abuse.

MPs called on ministers to “show leadership” on the issue by committing to a comprehensive programme of action to make all public places safe for women and girls.

That included forcing train operators to “block access to pornography” in franchise agreements and amending bus regulations to “prohibit sexual harassment and viewing pornography on buses”.

They said it was “astonishing” the Government had failed to commit to ridding harassment domestically while signing up to international goals to do it abroad.

The report recommended the Government should “take an evidence based approach to addressing the harms of pornography, similar to the huge investment there has been over many years in tackling road safety, or preventing public health problems caused by lawful behaviour such as smoking”.

It blasted the Government’s “inconsistent” approach to porn saying evidence showed man who use it are far “more likely to hold sexist attitudes and be sexually aggressive towards women”.

Committee chair Maria Miller said: “We have set out a series of practical measures that Government, public transport operators, local authorities and universities should implement immediately. Public places must be made safe for all women and girls.”

The report warned that the Government’s “foot appears to be almost entirely off the pedal” when it came to tackling sexual harassment, with ministers risking giving the impression that they see the issue as “too trivial to address”.

The committee also called for a new law to criminalise the creation or sharing of non-consensual sexual images.

The wide-ranging report also recommended changes to licensing laws to require bars and clubs to take action to prevent harassment.

It said councils should be forced to consult women’s groups before allowing lap-dancing clubs to open.

Surveys have found two thirds of women - including 85 per cent of 18-24-year-olds - had experienced unwanted sexual attention in public places including “upskirting” rape threats and men exposing themselves.

More than a third reported unwanted touching like groping on public transport. And at least 60 per cent said they did not feel safe walking home.