An advert by British Heart Foundation was the sixth most complained-about advert of 2015, according to a list compiled by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The BHF advert showed a boy sitting in a classroom talking to his dad who had died from a heart attack. According to the ASA, complainants considered the advert to be “distressing for adults and children to see”.

It received 219 complaints, but those objections were not upheld.

The ASA noted that the advert had been scheduled to avoid children’s programming. It said it recognised that some people “might find the ad upsetting but judged it was unlikely to cause widespread distress”.

Carolan Davidge, director of marketing and engagement at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We’re sorry some individuals found our advert distressing as this was not our intention. The tone of the TV advert was chosen to reflect the sad reality that heart disease can be an unexpected and unsparing condition which can affect anybody. We feel it has been vitally important to highlight the issue of heart disease to help us raise awareness and fund research so we can combat these conditions in the future.”

The most complained-about advert for the year came from Moneysupermarket.com Ltd, and received 1,513 complaints. The advert, which featured a man walking down a street and dancing while wearing denim shorts and high-heeled shoes, was accused of being offensive and overtly sexual. The complaints were not upheld.

Last year saw adverts from the Save the Children and Royal British Legion appearing in ASA's top ten most complained-about adverts.