An electronic cigarette advertisement was branded misleading by a watchdog after it claimed to offer a safer and healthier alternative to smoking.
The Nicolites advert drew criticism for suggesting the products were not harmful while producing no evidence to support the claim.
The advertising watchdog has banned the ad and issued a warning to manufacturer Nicocigs.
"We told Nicocigs to ensure they did not claim products were not harmful, or were 'safer' or 'healthier' than smoking, in future in the absence of adequate evidence," the Advertising Standards Authority ruled.
The newspaper advert featured an image of a young blonde woman posing in a trilby hat and clutching an electronic cigarette.
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