A cheese ad in which a miniature cowboy wields a razor and a gun has been shifted to a post 9pm slot following complaints that it trivialised violent crime.

The television ad for for Pilgrim's Choice cheese showed the cowboy wiping an oversized razor on a tea-towel before shaving his face and neck, then leaving through the the cat flap and pointing an oversized gun at a cat.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it received 35 complaints that the ad was likely to cause harmful emulation among children, and trivialised gun and knife crime.

Adams Foods said the ad was intended to portray a surreal situation, with a deliberately-oversized razor and gun to emphasise the sense of surrealism.

However, it had already decided to reschedule the ad to be broadcast only in post 9pm slots after receiving complaints via its Facebook page.

The ASA said it was concerned younger children might find the miniature cowboy character particularly intriguing and might mimic the cowboy's actions using common household objects in a manner that could seriously endanger their health.

However, it did not consider that the overall tone of the ad trivialised gun or knife crime and was therefore unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.

The ASA said: "We welcomed Adams Foods' prompt decision to reschedule the ad for broadcast only in post 9pm slots, which had been effective since 19 May. In light of that, we considered that no further action was necessary."

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