It is the bane of parents everywhere – teenage boys wearing their trousers at half-mast. But one small US town is fighting back by banning them.

Despite protests that the ban is unconstitutional, members of the Terrebonne Parish in Louisiana voted overwhelmingly to introduce the laws.

Violators will be fined $40 for a first offence, $100 for a second offence and face a further fine and 16 hours’ community service if they are caught a third time.

Officials said they imposed the ban for the “general welfare” of residents, with youth leader Diana Collins backing the move, saying it would allow young men to “look decent”.

Singer Justin Bieber is among those who favour the saggy pants look – trousers halfway down the hips with the underwear exposed to the world.

The trend originated in US prisons, where inmates were not allowed to have belts, and hip hop artists began copying the look in the 1990s.

However, there is some opposition – the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana says the ban is ‘unconstitutional’.

“To ban a particular clothing style would violate a liberty interest guaranteed under the 14th Amendment,” they said.

The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution says no citizen should be deprived of “life, liberty or property,” and no person should be denied equal protection of the law.

But Louisiana is not the first state to seek to ban the sag. New York State Senator  Eric Adama launched a billboard campaign in 2010 to get men to “raise your pants and raise your image”, Florida city banned it in 2012, and the state of Georgia has a number of clothing laws.

“Look, I can’t stand seeing the grubby, elasticised waistband of someone’s undies peering out above saggy pants as much as the next person, but banning and then fining someone for what they are kind-of-wearing goes against every grain of freedom our fashion forefathers stood for” says news.com.au style commentator Melissa Hoyer.

“Without style diversity we would be one very boring society, and without saggy pants worn by rap artist wannabes, what else could we moan about?

“No-one has attempted to ban those other great crimes of fashion – sheepskin boots, onesies, bubble skirts, Aaaaah bras, velour trackies, mushroom perms and shiny blue eyeshadow – so why should we start now?”

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Read more: Daily Telegraph