SIR - With reference to the gas fire advert that had to be withdrawn (T&A, August 31), I agree with the decision of the ASA in that the advert went too far.

We all know that pretty young women, dressed or almost naked, are used by advertisers to grab the attention of their prospective customers, but a line has to be drawn somewhere.

Surely there has to be a reasonable standard, so why do so many advertisers have to lower their sights just to make a sale?

Even the T&A's headline used innuendo to attract the reader's attention. There is an image of a shapely bikini-clad young woman and the words "Gas ads a bust as firm gets cheeky", but this is an acceptable play on words.

When you think of some of the famous adverts over the years that people still remember there was never anything smutty or puerile in them, just a good combination of words that gave you a smile and made you remember the product.

Perhaps modern advertisers lack the brilliance and innovative minds of those earlier ones and therefore stoop to cheap innuendo.

Brian Pickford, Summerbridge Crescent, Eccleshill