The British Home Office has insisted the wording of an anti-car crime advertisement which uses the words "Sean, car criminal" was not intended to offend Irish people.
The advertisement, which is appearing on petrol pumps at Total petrol stations in England and Wales, warns motorists: "I think I'll rob your car while you're paying." It is signed off with the words: "Sean, car criminal".
Several Irish community groups complained that the advertisement was an example of negative stereotyping, but the Home Office, which devised the campaign with the Central Office of Information, told The Irish Times names were chosen to "humanise" the anti-crime message.
The campaign uses other names, such as "Lee" and "Gary".
However, Mr Mark Stanley, managing director of Alvern Forecourt Media, the company that sold the advertising space told this week's edition of the Irish Post newspaper he was "extremely apologetic that anyone should take any offence when none is intended. I think people need to treat it with a sense of perspective."
A spokeswoman for Total said the company "wholeheartedly" supported the anti-crime message of the campaign. The spokeswoman told The Irish Times that while the company viewed the advertisement before the launch of the campaign "we would never seek to cause anyone offence; it was one of a list of names and it didn't stand out as racist."