Four hundred students have joined a protest against cuts in languages courses at Bristol's University of the West of England.

UWE announced earlier this month that it was axing degree courses in French, Spanish and Chinese because of declining demand.

But students and staff say the decision will damage the university and should be reversed.

Students have signed up to a Facebook group called Save UWE Languages, which says: "Losing the languages department would be a sad loss for UWE. The university needs to be run as an educational institution, not a business."

Louisa Jarad, 56, who is studying French and tourism, said: "It is hypocritical of UWE to be trying to attract international students when they are stopping language provision."

Members of the university and college union are staging a protest today outside an exam board meeting at UWE.

Lee Salter, chairman of UCU at UWE, said: "The process by which these decisions have been taken and the indecent haste to implement them must be challenged.

"Cutting languages courses ... severely undermines the university's position and the message about the value and importance of languages that is being taken to school students."

UWE deputy vice-chancellor John Rushforth said the courses had to be cut because the small numbers meant they were not viable and were not a good experience for students.