THE makers of a cheeky advert for toilet tissue have apologised after the campaign caused upset.

The "Love your bum" advert for Velvet toilet paper, which features naked buttocks, has caused more than a hundred calls to the Advertising Standards Agency.

Protesters have also pulled down some of the posters in the Manningham Lane area of Bradford where they have appeared near mosques.

A spokesman for Velvet apologised for placing the advertisements in sensitive areas and said it would be removing or replacing them.

And an Advertising Standards Agency spokesman said it was investigating the poster and TV campaign after 104 complaints.

"The adverts don't have to be pre-checked, they are the responsibility of the advertising agency and we investigate after we get the complaints," said a spokesman. "The majority of complaints have been from Muslims complaining about ads appearing outside places of worship and the fact they appeared at the time of Eid. There have also been calls from women and parents of young children who have found the image offensive."

Tansar Hussain, 33, of West Bowling, who complained to the ASA, said he was disgusted with the campaign and urged the watchdog to exercise greater control over the contents of billboard advertising.

"What's the point of the Advertising Standards Agency investigating after all the offence has been caused. This is not the first offensive advert," he said.

The Rev George Moffat, of St Paul's Church, Manningham, said people often felt they had no choice but to rip down the posters themselves.

"I don't think the ad is very clever or witty. Frankly, in this multi-cultural area I am not surprised it has been torn down."

A spokesman for Velvet said the "Love your bum" campaign had been carefully researched and aimed to highlight a much-neglected part of the body.