OUP said it commissioned an independent review of the Biff and Chip books after receiving complaints about their content.

The publisher said: “The book was taken out of print completely in March this year following an independent review, and is no longer available to purchase.

“OUP destroyed its own remaining stock of the book, although a small number of copies may still remain in the supply chain. Some older titles may still be available in libraries, or as second-hand copies.

“At OUP, we regularly review and make changes to our list of titles to ensure they are up-to-date, diverse, inclusive and reflective of the world we live in, and we take steps to remove any products that are no longer appropriate.

“We also continuously listen to feedback from customers, and we take our responsibility to learn and improve very seriously.

“We sincerely apologise for the offence this book has caused.”

Backlist regularly reviewed

The Blue Eye is one of several that have been withdrawn, although OUP declined to name the others as they said the list was regularly updated. 

A spokesman said: “As part of a continuous review of our publishing, OUP takes the decision to put stories out of print when they are deemed to fall short of the high standards of diversity and inclusivity we wish to promote through our publishing. In addition to this, titles may be amended or updated.

“We regularly review our backlist and make decisions internally and in conjunction with the authors about different titles on a case-by-case basis and for a variety of reasons.

“These regular reviews are undertaken internally by the Oxford publishing team as well as with independent expert reviewers and we look at specific themes and issues, either as a result of user feedback or developments in current affairs.”