Waitrose apologises for ad glorifying sun tans

Waitrose has apologised “for the upset” after a skin cancer charity said its Christmas commercial had glorified sun tans.

The commercial shows farmers working year-round to produce festive food and comparing sun tans. But critics said it failed to highlight the dangers of exposure to the sun.

Gill Nuttall, chief executive of Melanoma UK, told the BBC it was time “everyone started to look at skin cancer with their eyes wide open” and “the comparing of tans dates back many years, before we knew better”.

Waitrose said a medic was present at filming to ensure “everyone wore high factor [sun cream] and stayed safe”.