An advert for Beats headphones featuring Robin Thicke has been banned from showing in the UK before 7.30pm, owing to its sexually suggestive scenes, according to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

In the clip, various scantily clad dancers show off the 'Beats Pill' speakers and use them as dumbbells. One particular shot shows a woman on all fours with a 'pill' on her back.

There has been 97 complains over the sexually suggestive scenes, which features Thicke's summer hit Blurred Lines, according to the report from The Independent.

The ASA said: "While we accepted that some viewers might find elements of the ad distasteful, particularly the shots of the women's bodies with their heads obscured and the shot of the woman on all fours, we considered that those shots were brief, and when taken as a whole, the ad did not show sustained, overtly sexual or provocative behaviour."

It's the latest controversy for Blurred Lines, which has been criticised for reinforcing rape myths. It features the lyrics: "I know you want it, you're a good girl, can't let it get past me, you're far from plastic, talk about getting blasted, I hate these blurred lines," and is accompanied by an explicit video in which naked models parade around Thicke and the hip-hop star Pharrell Williams. 

Watch the Blurred Lines unrated video:

Beats Electronics International defended the advert, claiming the women were strong individuals who were "not subservient to the male character." The company - founded by Dr Dre - said the dominant images were of the produced being used in "strong, playful" ways that "most viewers would not see as having any sexual connotation."

Blurred Lines gained considerable publicity after the MTV Video Music Awards, when Miley Cyrus twerked, gyrated and generally caused a scene while singing a duet with Thicke. 

See our pictures of Thicke performing at the recent iTunes Festival in London.

Robin ThickeRobin Thicke Performing At The iTunes Festival In London