The Advertising Standards Authority has censured a hair styling company for causing “serious offence” to Christians after it ran a television campaign based on the Lord’s Prayer.

It banned the advertisements for a heated hair styler that combined “erotic” images of women with the text “thy will be done”. In one scene, a woman in lingerie sat on the edge of a bed with rosary-style beads clasped in her hands and prayed in Italian: “May my new curls make her feel choked with jealousy.”

The company behind the advertisements is Jemella, trading as Ghd. Large on-screen text stated “ghd IV thy Will Be Done,” with the letter “t” appearing as a cross. The words “ghd. A new religion for hair” were shown.

Another advert showed a woman carrying a votive candle through to her bedroom before looking upwards and praying: “Make him dump her tonight and come home with me.”

The Archdeacon of Liverpool, the Ven Ricky Panter, and 22 other people complained that the images were offensive to Christians.

Mr Panter told The Times: “It seemed to me the advertisement crossed a line. I felt very uncomfortable with it. It was targeting the Lord’s Prayer and I felt it was taking the mick. This is not about censorship or about being prudish. It is simply about every individual’s right to signal when they think a line has been crossed.”