Holiday camp operator Butlins’, has admitted that an advert which it commissioned during term has sent out “the wrong message” to parents.

The news follows complaints that the advert tempted parents to take children out of school during term time.

The advert offers a free place to an adult paying the full price for a child during term-time.

Butlins has admitted the advert sent the "wrong message" and was aimed at families with pre-school age children.
"We unfortunately placed the wrong adverts in recent editions of the Asda and Tesco consumer magazines. This sent out the wrong message,” said a statement from the company.

"The advert should have used our pre-school pictures and wording, making it clear that we were suggesting parents bring their tots for a break in quieter times when the big kids are in school.

"We've spoken to our advertising team to ensure they use the correct adverts in future."

The advert was featured in the current consumer magazines for Tesco and Asda and has the tagline "Mums go free!" It shows a picture of a woman walking through a Butlins resort holding two children, one of which is of school age, by the hand.