Tayside Contracts took the action against four employees after the cheeky snap with glamour magazine Pg7 was anonymously brought to its attention.

Iain Waddell, managing director of Tayside Contracts, which provides catering, cleaning, roads maintenance, vehicle maintenance and winter maintenance for Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross councils, said: “The individuals concerned are suspended at the moment as part of the investigatory process.”

He said that given the circumstances it would be inappropriate to comment further but confirmed that the four men worked for the organisation.

The person who alerted The Courier to the picture said he was “flabbergasted” by the men’s involvement with an “x-rated magazine”, which he said was unsuitable behaviour given the number of female employees at Tayside Contracts.

The men involved are understood to be road maintenance workers though their identities or where or when the picture was taken is unknown.

Colleagues at the Perth Ruthvenfield depot of Tayside Contracts were unable, or unwilling, to shed any light on the identities of the men involved.

The magazine behind what they described as “a bit of fun” said in light of the controversy they would not be publishing the pictures.

“All the pictures have been deleted, they don’t exist,” said a spokesman for the magazine.

“It was a bit of fun, it took two minutes of their day in their lunch half hour.

“As far as the pictures are concerned I am really sorry they got into this ridiculous trouble.”

The spokesman said the picture — which has the magazine logo and phone number across the model’s chest — was never even used online and said he was at a loss to know how the photograph had got into circulation.

UPADTE:

The men suspended over the topless photo shoot have now been reinstated.