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One Direction have removed a Twitter request for fans to send in pictures of their tattoos to the band in case it encouraged younger fans to get body art.

The boy band posted the message on Sunday, offering people the chance to win tickets for their new film.

"This tweet was posted in error and has now been removed," said a spokesperson.

One Direction are known for their love of tattoos with Harry Styles getting inked many times in the last year.

Many of the group's fans are under-18, the legal age in the UK to get a tattoo.

The spokesperson added: "One Direction do not want to encourage any of their fans to get 1D tattoos."

Zayne Malik has a number of tattoos including Japanese symbols, Arabic scripting, as well as an image of a microphone.

In the last year Harry Styles has been inked with birds on his collarbones, crucifixes and a large ship.

Louis Tomlinson apparently has a stickman on a skateboard while Liam Payne has chosen to have writing etched up his arm.