Google Street View, the street mapping service we talked about last month, has now finally launched in the UK.

And as expected, it has already caused controversy amongst some privacy campaigners.

Google Street View is a street level database of 360 degree images from 25,000 miles of UK roads. The images were taken from a camera on the top of a specially adapted car, and show many streets from 25 UK towns and cities.

Since the Google Steet View car simply drives past taking photos of everything visible from the road, privacy groups have suggested that this is an invasion of privacy since Google are not asking anyone’s permission.

To overcome these concerns, Google have made it possible for images to be removed from the database. What remains instead is just a blank space, with the message ‘this image is no longer available’. However, canny users can just move down the street and look back on the scene instead – in order to see what has been deleted.

Google have already removed hundreds of photos following complaints from individuals. It is thought the images that have been deleted so far contain revealing images of people’s homes, and someone being arrested.

Google have said that anyone can have their images removed if they ask. In an attempt to minimise removal from the database, they have already deployed face blurring technology.

Google for its part says that it is merely showing what is visible from a public road, and that any person there might see the same.

Street View is already live in the US and 8 other countries too.

Have you found your street or yourself on Streetview yet? Leave us a comment below.