The British and Irish Lions today apologised for “inappropriate” material published on their official Twitter feed.

Two recent tweets on @lionsofficial have been removed. One of them was believed to have included a photograph of an injured animal.

A tweet on the Lions twitter feed today read: “@lionsofficial would like to apologise for any offence caused by recent and inappropriate tweets.”

Lions tour manager Andy Irvine spoke at the squad announcement in London about the need for responsible use of social media by players, and confirmed there would be a squad protocol.

“Social media these days you can make a mistake and it can be around the world in seconds. We do have a protocol we will be following,” Irvine said.

“It’s not as if we are headmasters and telling kids what to do. There will be an opportunity for the players to look at it (protocol) and accept it and understand it.

“It takes years to build up a good reputation, but you can lose it in seconds. We are alert to that.”