The ad zooms in on a number of tombstones in a graveyard, highlighting the fact that many different people are buried there, from rock stars and politicians to roadsweepers.
The ad implied that all people in the graveyard are jealous of the high-speed internet access Telewest customers enjoy and a smiling young mother was shown.
Viewers complained that the ad was offensive because it suggested that the deceased felt jealous. Out of the complainants, 11 had recently suffered the loss of a loved one.
The ITC said it sympathised with those complainants who had been reminded of a recent loss by the ad. However, it said that it did not have evidence that it would have been widely distressing to those who had been recently bereaved.
The ITC also ruled that the ad would not likely be particularly offensive to most other viewers, although it said it acknowledged the strength of feeling of many of the complainants.
Although the ad received the most complaints for a single ad in February, the number of responses was small compared with some others. A spokeswoman at the ITC said that some ads had provoked more than 500 letters from the public.
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