British Heart Foundation advert was the sixth most complained about advert last year

One of the most complained about adverts last year was for the British Heart Foundation, according to a list compiled by the Advertising Standards Authority.

It showed a boy sitting in a classroom talking to his dad who had died from a heart attack with many complaining that the advert was both distressing for adults and children to watch.

According to the ASA it was the sixth most complained about advert last year, receiving 219 complaints although the objections were not upheld by the body.

As the advert, which you can see below, had been scheduled to not appear around children’s programming, the ASA said it recognised that some people “might find the ad upsetting but judged it was unlikely to cause widespread distress”.

Carolan Davidge, director of marketing and engagement at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We’re sorry some individuals found our advert distressing as this was not our intention.

“The tone of the TV advert was chosen to reflect the sad reality that heart disease can be an unexpected and unsparing condition which can affect anybody.

“We feel it has been vitally important to highlight the issue of heart disease to help us raise awareness and fund research so we can combat these conditions in the future.”

Last year saw adverts from the Save the Children and Royal British Legion appearing in ASA's top 10 most complained about adverts.

The most complained about advert for the year came from Moneysupermarket.com.