THE owner of a pub censured for promoting a German night with a poster depicting a Swastika-wearing caricature has hit back saying "the world's gone absolutely bonkers".

The advert produced by The Buck Inn, in Sadberge, near Darlington, attracted criticism for featuring a Nazi cartoon soldier with its right arm raised in a Nazi salute next to the line: “Don’t Mention Ze War!”

The contentious advert was first posted on the pub’s Facebook page in September 2017, with a spokesman for The Buck Inn stating the poster was not intended to cause offence.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received three formal complaints over the ad on the grounds it was offensive.

An investigation was launched into the poster, with the ASA stating carried a colour scheme that resembled the “stylisation and colours typical of Nazi imagery”.

Speaking about the decision, Buck Inn owner Craig Harker said: "This is political correctness gone mad. The world's gone absolutely bonkers if this is deemed offensive. It's a poster for a German night which was hugely successful.

"The regulars laughed it off and took the poster in the lighthearted, fun way that I intended. As long as business is good I'll continue to market my businesses however I see fit and let the PC brigade continue to do their jobs."