Saudi Arabia's law prohibiting women from driving has been lifted, to the approval of activists.

The ban was ended by Saudi Arabia's King Salman, meaning females who drive in public will no longer run the risk of being arrested or fined.

The Gulf state was the only country in the world where women were not allowed to drive.

President Trump called it a "positive step" towards women’s rights.

Saudi Arabia's US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, said women would not need male permission to start driving lessons and would not be limited as to where they could drive.

For many years women in Saudi Arabia have campaigned for the right to drive. Some have been imprisoned for defying the ban.

Private drivers have had to be employed by many families in order to avoid a female being prosecuted under the ban.

One activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, was detained for 73 days in 2014 for driving a vehicle.

The US state department called the lifting of the ban "a great step in the right direction".

However, the move as been treated with scepticism by some, who suggest the country is attempting to improve its image overseas, following criticism over military action in Yemen and the ongoing blockading of Qatar.

Others within Saudi Arabia have criticised the move, suggesting it bent the rules of sharia.

However, the lifting of the ban represents a huge step forward for women’s rights in the country, which may pave the way for increased women’s rights in other areas of Saudi life.