Hollywood film star Gwyneth Paltrow revealed today she was planning to press charges against paparazzi photographers who follow her around and take pictures of her in London.

In an interview with an American newspaper, the star of Shakespeare in Love and The Talented Mr Ripley said the photographers were "scary" and were "endangering" her and her baby by following her in cars.

"In London, they chase you in cars, and I will start pressing charges because they're endangering me by the way they drive," she told the USA Today newspaper.

"It's really scary. It's just unacceptable, especially when there's a life of a small baby in your hands."

Earlier this year Paltrow and her husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, took out an injunction after the London Evening Standard published a map showing the exact location of their new home and neighbourhood.

Lawyers for the couple said they had been forced to take action to prevent other papers reprinting the details.

Today Paltrow said she had started noting the names of photographers who follow her most regularly when she is out with her daughter, Apple, who was born in May.

The actor, who ironically plays the role of a pushy reporter in upcoming movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, said she had tried various tactics including hiding from photographers and co-operating with them for pre-arranged shots but none had dampened their interest.

Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Paltrow famously posed for photographers outside her home pushing a pram in the hope that they would then leave her alone. It emerged later that the pram had been empty.

"It's really frustrating. I wish people would just let us get on with it once in a while and let us have a normal day together. You can't win, no matter which way you do it. I don't know why there's this insatiable interest," she said.

"In one way, it's incredibly flattering. Wow, people actually are interested in me and my life, or what I wear, or what I think, or what I say, and you think, 'that's amazing'.

"But then, at the same time, I just think the tabloid media goes too far sometimes. And I do think that people are entitled to a private life and private moments with their families."

Paltrow added that her biggest fear was how Apple would react when she was old enough to understand that the family was under such scrutiny.

"It worries me more when she's aware of what's going on. The idea of us leaving the house and there being paparazzi and her being startled by it or asking what it is and why they're there, I don't know what I'm going to say," she said.

The seemingly insatiable demand for celebrity magazines such as Heat, Now and Closer has further increased demand for exclusive shots of those in the public eye.

Celebrities have increasingly turned to the courts to protect their privacy rather than complaining to the Press Complaints Commission.

Actor Ewan McGregor won a high court action against a photographic agency in November 2003, banning further publication of pictures of his children on holiday, and claimed damages for breach of confidence under data protection laws.

He has also been one of the most outspoken critics of the rise and rise of celebrity magazines. "Heat magazine's a dirty, filthy piece of shit and I'd like to put that on record. People shouldn't buy it because it sucks," he said last year.

"If a guy comes up and asks me, 'can I take a picture of your daughter?' that's one thing. But if he's hiding behind a bus and he takes a picture of me and my daughter he's legally allowed to publish that photo in the press. I have no rights to stop him and I think that's wrong. I think we should encourage people to beat up paparazzis," he added.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas were also controversially awarded a nominal £50 each under the Data Protection Act when they sued Hello! magazine for publishing unauthorised pictures of their wedding - as well as £14,600 for their hurt feelings.

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