A statement made by BT misled consumers, after the company claimed to provide the "the UK's most reliable wireless connection", the advertising watchdog ruled.

The telecoms firm must not repeat the claim without evidence or qualification, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.

In a television advertisement, BT had given the impression that it provides the most reliable wireless online experience, according to the watchdog.

But there was no proof to back up the claim that its online experience was the most reliable, and this was in reference to the BT Home Hub 3 router, the ASA said.

Tests carried out by BT confirmed that the router was more reliable at keeping a wireless connection, despite baby monitors and other non-Wi-Fi devices providing interference.

The ASA ruled that the promotion suggested BT's broadband service was better than all other "competing signals" but that the firm did not make clear that this meant non-Wi-Fi signals.

In its ruling, the ASA said: "We considered that, although it was not BT's intention, viewers were likely to infer from the context of the whole ad that the claim 'the UK's most reliable wireless connection' meant that BT provided the most reliable wireless online experience."