Photographs of Spears can fetch as much as �50,000

The decision was sparked by "unease" over the treatment of celebrities such as Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse.

A statement on the Holy Moly site said there had been a "definite change in the perception of paparazzi pictures".

It will no longer publish photos of stars being chased or in "distress", while photos of celebrities with their children will also be banned.

'Seedy' photos

However, photographs of celebrities at press launches and premieres and "idiots who go to places like The Ivy" will continue to be included on the site.

Both reader and the publisher alike are getting a bit uneasy about it all when you can clearly see two or three people have been driven to the brink of mental illness because of it Holy Moly creator

Speaking to the Guardian, Holy Moly's creator - who prefers to remain anonymous - said he believes there has been a sea-change in people's attitudes to press intrusion.

"Both reader and the publisher alike are getting a bit uneasy about it all when you can clearly see two or three people have been driven to the brink of mental illness because of it," he said.

British photographer Nick Stern has criticised the press pack in LA

"It's not funny any more and to get any sort of pleasure out of it feels a bit seedy. For me it was when Britney came out of rehab, that was the one that really worried me."

Last month British photographer Nick Stern resigned from the Los Angeles-based photo agency Splash Pictures in protest at the paparazzi's "aggressive" pursuit of Spears.

"Directly or indirectly, Britney is going to come to some horrific end, or a member of the public will," he said.

"It's not unusual to have 20 or 30 cars pursuing her at any one time. It's become acceptable to drive at 80mph down the wrong side of the street into oncoming traffic."

Holy Moly said Stern's decision, along with fans' comments, had influenced its decision.

"When one of the biggest names in paparazzi jacks it in due to ethics and morals and the world's biggest pop star gets her knickers photographed by 30 people an hour after being released from a mental institute, you know there's a problem on the shop floor."