Public service providers will be told later this month to ban trans people from using single-sex spaces under equalities guidelines.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will send a letter to ministers this month in which schools, hospitals, leisure centres and cinemas will be told to ban trans woman from spaces such as toilets and changing rooms.

The statutory guidance will apply to any organisation providing services to the public.

It will say that it would be reasonable for a woman to object to the presence of a transgender woman if she is in a vulnerable situation or will be getting undressed, and urge single-sex sporting competitions to ban transgender competitors.

The EHRC is said to have rejected demands from campaigners to reduce restrictions on the ability for trans people to access services of their chosen gender.

The guidance will cover shops and gyms, but also extend to government departments, the NHS and prisons.

Private organisations will also be included if they provide a public service, such as a private care home providing care on behalf of the council.

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Bridget Phillipson, the Women and Equalities Minister, is set to receive the guidance before the end of the month.

Phillipson is expected to approve the guidance provided it follows the law - and it will then be laid before Parliament.

A draft of the guidance was published when the EHRC launched a consultation on changes initiated by April's common-sense Supreme Court ruling, which confirmed that a woman is a biological term.

Some NHS trusts and the Civil Service, among other organisations, have said they are awaiting the guidance before changes are implemented.

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Furious trans campaigners have threatened legal challenges as they claimed the changes will breach their human rights.

It is understood the guidance will not tell services they have to provide single-sex spaces, but rather will state that if they do, such as toilets for women, transgender woman will be excluded from using it.

While it is still being finalised, it is also expected to clarify that excluding trans people from certain facilities will not be deemed as discrimination.

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Furious trans campaigners have threatened legal challenges as they claimed the changes will breach their human rights

Services will be allowed to request birth certificates in order to ensure single-sex spaces are respected, and in certain circumstances will be allowed to exclude a trans person from a service even if the certificate matches their biological sex.

However, if this is not done in a sensitive manner it could be classed as discrimination.

It read: "A legitimate aim for excluding a trans person from a separate or single-sex service for their own biological sex might be to prevent alarm or distress for other service users.

"A trans man might be excluded from the women-only service if the service provider decides that, because he presents as a man, other service users could reasonably object to his presence, and it is proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim to exclude him."

Although the text has not been finalised, it is expected to remain similar to the draft.

A spokesman for the EHRC said: "The code of practice has not yet been finalised.

"We received an extremely high volume of responses to the consultation and are grateful to everyone who shared their feedback.

"To ensure we give these responses the consideration they merit, we are working at pace to analyse them and are amending the draft code of practice text where necessary to make it as clear and helpful as possible.

"But our code will remain consistent with the law as set out by the Supreme Court."