A 'sexy schoolgirl' outfit advert has been banned for sexualising someone who appeared underage.

The ad, seen on Amazon, featured a young-looking female posing in seven "revealing" photos - one showed the model kneeling barefoot on a sofa and biting her finger alongside the caption 'SEXY APPEAL'.

Watchdogs banned the ad - which claimed the outfit "inspires both infinite imagination of youth" - after the firm responsible, Olanstar, refused to answer questions about the model's age.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the model wearing the revealing blue costume "seemed petite, with smooth skin and very little make-up which made her appear to be under the age of 18".

She was shown in a variety of poses which included laying on her back with her inner thigh on show and bending over with the camera pointed from behind her.

The item, entitled 'Olanstar School Girl Costume Halloween Cosplay Uniform Classic Pleated Mini Skirt with Bow-knot', had a sub-heading which read 'see more on the Sex and Sensuality store'.

The description of the item stated: "Pure student dress up, this sexy schoolgirl outfit lights your passion at night, inspires both infinite imagination of youth."

The singular complaint challenged whether the ad breached the Committees of Advertising (CAP) Code by portraying someone who appeared to be under 18 years of age in a sexual way.

The ASA launched an investigation but Olanstar Technology Co refused to respond to enquiries so the complaint was upheld.

An ASA spokesman said:: "We were concerned by Olanstar's lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code.

"We reminded them of their responsibility to provide a substantive response to our enquiries and told them to do so in future.

"We considered that all of the photos in the ad were to some extent sexual in nature.

"In particular, we noted that one photo, in which the model was photographed from above while she was lying down with her legs crossed from right to left, revealed her bare inner thigh.

"Another photo showed the model kneeling barefoot on a sofa and biting her finger alongside the caption 'SEXY APPEAL'.

"All other photos showed the model either on her knees or bent over which we considered drew attention to her body in a sexually suggestive manner.

"The advertiser had not responded to the complaint and we therefore did not have any information about whether the model was aged 18 years or over.

"However, we considered that the model seemed petite, with smooth skin and very little make-up which made her appear to be under the age of 18.

"For those reasons we considered that the ad depicted a person who appeared to be under the age of 18 in a sexual way and was therefore in breach of the Code."

He added: "We told Olanstar Technology to ensure future ads did not include images that portrayed or represented anyone who was, or seemed to be, under 18 in a sexual manner."