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A TV advert for a personal loans firm has been slammed because it implied that borrowing large amounts of cash could be treated lightly.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ordered Picture Financial Services not to show the ad again in its existing form, stressing that the commercial was likely to mislead consumers.

In the ad a woman was shown in her kitchen trying to arrange a loan over the phone, during which time she was interrupted several times by family members.

Referring to the household chaos the woman remarked: "Don't worry it's always like this here. But at least I can get my credit sorted. We'd like to borrow £25,000."

Picture told the ASA that it had not wanted to suggest that any kind of credit agreement could be entered into lightly. The company said it had sought to illustrate, in a light-hearted way, how busy lifestyles and conflicting demands faced by customers made it difficult for them to sort out their finances.

The advertising watchdog acknowledged that the ad contained several warning statements about the nature of the service offered by Picture. The ASA said the commercial highlighted the typical APR, monthly repayment amounts, the length of repayments and the total amount repayable on a £25,000 loan.

But in a ruling announced today the ASA said: "We considered that consolidating unsecured loans into one loan, particularly one secured on a home, was a serious step that needed careful consideration.

"We considered that the light hearted tone of the ad, including the interruptions from family members, suggested that the decision to take out the loan had not been carefully considered and that it was an everyday occurrence.

"We concluded that the ad was likely to mislead," the industry regulator added.