A Bradford mail order firm has been slammed by advertising watchdogs for the seventh time in five years.

Catalogue shopping company Empire Stores, which is owned by Redcats UK, sent out a mail shot to customers stating that six people had already won big cash prizes in its prize draw.

Recipients of the letter were told they were one of seven pre-selected finalists, with £50,000 still up for grabs.

They were given a draw entry number and were told they would receive a prize if they replied to the letter.

But one of the recipients in Caithness, Scotland, complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after receiving two copies of the mailing, each with different winning numbers on. He claimed the mailing exaggerated his chance of winning a prize.

The complaint was upheld by the ASA, and Empire Stores has been ordered to stop the competition and pass any future mailings through the ASA's Copy Advice team for checking.

In its findings published today, the ASA states the letter did not make clear enough what the advertisers were offering. The actual prizes, ranging from £50,000 to a microwave, were only listed in the small print on the back of the letter.

The report added: "The mailing was sufficiently ambiguous to imply that only the seven listed finalist numbers had a chance of winning. Because that was not the case, the Authority concluded that the mailing exaggerated the recipient's chances of winning."

A spokesman for Redcats UK said he was sorry that the complainant felt misled by the promotion and that the company fully accepted the ASA's judgement.

"Last year more than five million people received our prize draw mailings. We received no complaints from recipients that involved an adjudication by the ASA," he said.

"However, we remain vigilant in responding to any concerns customers may have about mailings. It is important to us that our customers feel confident in customer care procedures."

Paul Cooper, head of fair trading and safety at West Yorkshire Trading Standards, warned consumers to be wary of any offer of prizes.

He said: "There are not generous people out there offering £1,000 prizes or holidays. If you haven't entered a competition be very, very wary, and if it looks too good be true look for the catch."