Fibre-optic broadband provider Virgin Media has been urged to scrap an advert in which it compares its own services to that of its rival Sky.

Sky contacted the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over the direct mailing from the company, claiming that several suggestions made in it were misleading and not clear enough.

One aspect was that the price comparison included did not include the cost of Virgin Media's broadband packages, despite looking at the costs in line with a Sky package featuring internet services.

The ASA upheld complaints made against the advert, saying: "In order for the comparison to be fair and enable consumers to make a choice between the two providers, the ad should have stated more prominently that the Sky price was inclusive of a broadband service."

It added that it was not sufficient in this case to just mention the issue in small print.

The complaint is not the first time Sky and Virgin Media have come to blows over advertising.

Last year, the ASA sanctioned advertising from Sky which suggested Virgin Media and BT's line rental offerings are 20 per cent more expensive than its own.