The Sun has not ended a decades-old tradition of publishing topless women on its third page, the latest edition of the British newspaper reveals.

A topless woman appears on page three of Thursday’s edition of The Sun newspaper after almost a week of no nudity, bringing to an end speculation that the British paper had dropped the long-running feature.

It had been widely thought that the controversial segment had ended after 44 years, moving online to the paper’s website. Ministers of the British government had welcomed the absence.

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But the paper on Thursday shows Nicole from Bournemouth winking and baring her breasts.

Under the headline “Clarifications and Corrections” the paper states: “Further to recent reports in all other media outlets, we would like to clarify that this is Page 3 and this is a picture of Nicole, 22, from Bournemouth.”

“We would like to apologise on behalf of the print and broadcast journalists who have spent the last two days talking and writing about us.”

The Times, which like The Sun is owned by billionaire media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s News UK, said on Tuesday that last Friday’s edition of the tabloid was the last to feature a nude model after 44 years.

“The Sun will no longer feature topless models on page three,” The Times said, adding that the change had been on the cards since billionaire Murdoch last year described the custom as “old fashioned”.

Education minister Nicky Morgan, who is responsible for women and equalities in the cabinet, was quick to welcome the news.

“This is a long-overdue decision and marks a small but significant step towards improving media portrayal of women and girls,” she said.

“I very much hope it remains permanent.”

The Sun is the country’s best-selling newspaper and has a circulation of around 2.2 million.

Before Thursday, the paper had played coy, refusing to confirm or deny if nudity would return.

Tuesday’s edition of the paper featured a photo of actresses in bikinis frolicking on a Dubai beach on page three, while Monday’s edition had a model clothed in lingerie.

The pin-ups have featured in the newspaper since 1970 when 20-year-old German model Stephanie Rahn became the first “Page Three Girl”.

The page, which launched the careers of models Samantha Fox in the 1980s and Katie Price in the 1990s, has long been criticised as sexist.

An active petition against the nudity gathered more than 217,000 signatures.

But a poll by Yougov in 2012 found 61 per cent of respondents in favour of keeping the pin-ups.

On Wednesday, topless model Chloe Goodman criticised the anti-nudity campaign, saying women should not “tell each other what jobs to take”.