SHEPHERD Neame has removed 'risque' wording from one of its beer adverts following a complaint which has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The advertisement for Bishop’s Finger Ale showed a woman in a low-cut medieval costume sitting provocatively on a bale of hay.

But it was the accompanying text which caused most offence with one complainant and the ASA agreed it linked alcohol with sexual activity.

But it did not uphold further complaints that the headline encouraged excessive drinking and that the image and text were offensive to women.

Neither did it support claims that another line of text – "at 5.4 per cent, it’s near the knuckle" – implied the drink was preferred because of its high alcohol content.

The Faversham-based company has agreed to remove the offending strapline but defended the advertisement, saying it was meant to amuse and not offend.

A representative told the ASA that there was even a level of expectation for a risque campaign, given the brand name Bishop’s Finger.

He added: "Shepherd Neame has a reputation for humorous, award-winning campaigns. We believe the Bishop’s Finger campaign upholds that tradition."

The ASA told the company that in future it should adopt an approach that did not link alcohol with sexual activity.

After the hearing a spokesman for Shepherd Neame added: "The campaign is born out of Shepherd Neame’s Kentish heritage and evokes the spirit of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

"The beer takes its name from finger-shaped signposts, which guided pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

"These adverts were tested with a sample group of men and women of all ages. They felt the adverts were consistently amusing and enjoyable. The strapline in question has appeared once and there are no plans to repeat it."