Supermarket chain apologises for promotional posters of Becks with saucy Posh tattoo

London, Mar 31 (ANI): Sainsbury's, a supermarket chain has apologised after it overlooked the fact that the promotional material for its Active kids scheme, for which David Beckham is its brand ambassador, had clearly visible tattoo of scantily clad Victoria on his forearm.

The image, which shows Victoria posing in lacy underwear and high heels, can be clearly seen on posters and collection boxes for the Active Kids scheme.

The supermarket apologised for the gaffe after staff at one nursery complained, saying the semi-naked tattoo was 'inappropriate' for their children, aged two, three and four.

"We're not being prudish," the Daily Mail quoted Anita Deacon, of Winshill Pre-School in Burton, Staffordshire, as saying.

"We just think it's inappropriate. The tattoo depicts Posh Spice wearing nothing but underwear and posing provocatively.'

"It's not really appropriate to have on show in front of children," Lynn Baker, Winshill Pre-school manager said.

"We are going to keep the material in the pre-school but make sure it's too high up for the children to see," Baker said.

When the nursery complained in writing about the 'inappropriate' image choice, they received a reply from Mark Jackson, a Sainsbury's customer manager.

"I'm sorry our recent material, which is endorsed by David Beckham, shows his tattoo of Victoria clearly semi-naked," Jackson said.

"I understand your disappointment, especially as this is being used in pre-schools.

"I'd like to reassure you that it's never our intention to cause offence to any of our customers and this has surely been an oversight on the part of our marketing team," he said.

The supermarket said the material had been sent to 47,000 schools and community groups across Britain but had prompted very few complaints.

While it apologised for any offence caused, Sainsbury's said the Los Angeles Galaxy star was a great figurehead for its campaign to improve children's health.

"As a world-class athlete and father of four, David Beckham is the perfect ambassador for several of Sainsbury's initiatives which encourage all kids to lead healthier and more active lifestyles," a spokesman said.

"It is never our intention to cause offence and we would like to apologise if this is the case. We will of course take this feedback onboard when designing our Active Kids material going forward," the spokesman added.

The 36-year-old footballer became an ambassador for Sainsbury's Active Kids earlier this year, along with swimmer and Paralympic gold medalist Ellie Simmonds MBE. (ANI)