A newspaper advert describing private residential homes as "Don't care homes" has been criticised by the advertising standards watchdog.

The advert, which was placed by public service union Unison in national newspapers in June, showed a picture of a house split in two.

One half was well-maintained and entitled "public care home" while the other half, labelled "private don't care home," was shown boarded-up with a for-sale for redevelopment sign.

The ASA labelled the advert 'misleading'

The advert said: "When private companies run public services they do it more for their own profit than for the benefit of the public.

"Over the past five years, it's led to the loss of over 50,000 care home places. In short, Britain's elderly are being sold down the river."

But 140 private care homes, trade associations and members of the public contacted the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after the advert appeared.

'Undue fear'

The complaints claimed the advert implied 50,000 care home places had been lost because of the greed of private operators, and that private homes and their staff did not care for residents.

They also claimed that the advert was "likely to cause undue fear and distress to residents" and was "unfairly denigratory".

Unison said the advert was part of a campaign against the "government's policy of bringing private companies in to run public services".

They said the 50,000 figure for the number of lost care home places was in the public domain and believed they had "acted responsibly in promoting the subject" to their members and the public.

However, the ASA, which upheld complaints in all four areas, said Unison had not proved all 50,000 places had been lost from private care homes and was therefore misleading.