The Crimestoppers advert was deemed likely to cause distress, particularly to children

An advert launched by the charity Crimestoppers has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

The advert featured the image of a pair of blooded hands holding a heart which looked like it had been ripped out of someone’s chest.

Drips of blood were running down the fingers and the tagline read: “BREAK YOUR SILENCE Don't let drugs and violence rip the heart out of your community".

The controversial poster ad was placed on a train station platform and in a phone box in the Warwickshire town of Rugby.

The ASA stepped in after receiving two complaints that the ad was likely to cause distress, particularly to children, and was therefore inappropriate for outdoor display.

An ASA spokesperson said: “We considered that some individuals, particularly children, who would not necessarily understand the rationale behind the image, might find the bloody image upsetting because of its graphic nature.

“While we acknowledged the positive intention behind the campaign and understood that the image had been used to emphasise the serious implications of violent crime, we considered that the image was not directly relevant to crime or the overriding message of the campaign.

“For those reasons, we considered that the ad was likely to cause unjustifiable distress when displayed in an untargeted medium and concluded that it breached the code.”

Crimestoppers acknowledged that the artwork could be perceived as controversial adding it was sorry that it had caused distress.

It added the advert was designed in response to drug related violence, which was a problem in some local areas and a similar poster had proved effectively elsewhere.

Crimestoppers Trust was told the advert could not appear again and to ensure their marketing did not cause undue distress in future.