The number of complaints about advertising in the UK has reached an all-time high, the industry watchdog announced yesterday.
Last year the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received almost 14,000 complaints - more than at any time in its 41-year history.
The biggest rise in concern was over food and drink, says the watchdog in its annual report.
The ASA regulates all non-broadcast advertising, which includes print, direct mail, posters, the internet and, increasingly, text messaging.
It dealt with 13,959 complaints last year - up 10.8 per cent on 2001. The complaints related to 10,213 adverts, which was up only 2.8 per cent on the previous year.
The most complained about advert in 2002 was for the British Heart Foundation featuring a woman with a plastic bag over her head to illustrate a symptom of heart disease.
The watchdog upheld 315 complaints.
Complaints about taste and decency rose by 24 per cent during 2002 to reach 3,142. Other concerns were about "truthfulness" and whether claims could be substantiated.
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