A LINO manufacturer's claims carpets are harmful to children and increase the risk of asthma 14-fold have been thrown out by the advertising watchdog.

The Kidderminster-based Carpet Foundation - which represents three carpet firms in the district and a further 11 nationwide - complained to the Advertising Standards Authority in March last year about a press advert and a brochure for Marmoleum.

The foundation - which had five of its 11 complaints upheld - said the decision had helped safeguard jobs in the industry, which employs about 5,000 people in Wyre Forest.

Marketing director Rupert Anton said the ASA had backed the foundation's key complaints and added: "If consumer demand for carpet falls it would have a knock-on effect for manufacturers."

The Marmoleum advert stated: "Carpets harbour dust mites, and absorb and release toxins. In fact, removing carpets can reduce the risk of asthma-causing allergens by up to 14-times."

It went on: "And, because children spend so much time close to the floor, and have developing organs and a high metabolic rate, they're at greatest risk."

The ASA rejected the claim replacing carpets with lino helped prevent asthma, dismissed the assertion carpets were dangerous because they contained toxins and threw out the statement children were at greatest risk.

The watchdog has asked the advertiser to remove or amend misleading statements and advised the firm to consult it before advertising again.

Chief executive of the foundation - which brought the case jointly with distributors and a retail association - Michael Hardiman hailed the ASA decision.

"This was a particularly nasty piece of advertising and we were always confident that any objective view of the scientific evidence would prove that Marmoleum's claims could not be substantiated," he said.

"The ASA judgement has exonerated carpet and this supports what we have known for years - that carpet is the healthy flooring option."

In 2000 the foundation objected to claims by the Healthy Flooring Network that asthma was caused by the droppings of dust mites living in carpets.