The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned three payday loan adverts following a complaint made by Citizens Advice earlier this year.

The adverts from Peachy, Loan Monarch and Spends4u cannot be shown again in their original form because they were deemed either misleading or irresponsible.

Four out of the seven payday loan adverts Citizens Advice reported to the ASA in March 2014 have now been banned. Last week the ASA upheld a complaint from Citizens Advice about an advert by Pounds to Pocket.

Earlier this month payday lender Wonga said it would no longer use puppets in its advertising.

Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: “These payday loan adverts mask the grim reality of debt. Taking out a short-term, high-cost loan should not be taken lightly. But all too often adverts present them as an easy option and suggest people’s financial circumstances don’t matter. This is utterly irresponsible and misleading.

“With four payday loan adverts banned within a fortnight, it is clear the payday loan industry needs to up its game when it comes to the quality of its advertising. Lenders should look again at their marketing materials to see if they are fair and responsible.

“The success of our complaint demonstrates that consumers can fight back against inappropriate adverts. If you believe a payday loan advert to irresponsible or misleading you can report it to Citizens Advice or the ASA directly.”