IT was meant as a simple advertisement celebrating the joys of one of the jewels in the National Trust's crown.

But the promotion extolling the virtues of Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, has backfired - after sparking an unlikely "no sex" row.

The newspaper advertisement angered trust member Eric Cropper, of Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, who protested about what he described as its bad taste.

The avert was headlined "Human Sacrifices. Like Celibacy" and the text begins with the words "No sex."

It went on: "No money and total obedience. Life as a Cistercian monk was tough and the vow of silence meant they couldn't even moan about it."

Mr Cropper said: "It seems out of keeping with the National Trust ethos and Fountains Abbey itself.

"It's not so much shock tactics, but in PR generally this sort of thing is becoming more widespread."

He said that while much of the advertisement was informative, the use of the words "Human Sacrifices" and "No sex" were in the worst possible taste.

He accepted the trust wanted to attract more visitors to the ruins, but he did not think it was the right way to go about it.

Fountains Abbey, dissolved in 1539, is now a UN-recognised World Heritage Site. It adjoins the Studley Royal estate, known for its outstanding 18th Century water gardens and landscape, created by John Aislabie and his son, William, between 1718 and 1781.

At their London headquarters, a National Trust spokes-man said: "By highlighting these stories we wish to embrace and widen audiences, both trust members and people who are much less familiar with our work.

"It is probably not possible to strike a tone that appeals to everyone. Many have enjoyed the campaigns, but we obviously regret that some regard the advertisement as inappropriate in any way."