A BARBER'S shop has come under fire after putting up Happy Easter posters featuring a model posed as Jesus and the slogan `We don't do nails'.

The two large prints in the window of City Gent, on Deansgate in Manchester city centre, also carry the message `Happy Easter Guys'.

They have been branded `distasteful' by one religious group which says the business is cashing in on Easter. The posters show a model in a hairdressing gown with his arms spread in a Christ-like pose.

The advertising campaign was launched two weeks ago by bosses of the men's salon. The posters have also gone up in the windows of City Gent shops in Altrincham, Leeds and Hull.

Martie Newton, from the Manchester branch of the Council of Christians and Jews, said: "I think that it's rather cheap publicity and the potential to offend all sections of the community is huge.

"Christians who believe Jesus is their saviour will be offended to see him mocked in this way.

"He was tortured to death and to play on that in the slogan is particularly offensive.

"As a practising Christian I find it distasteful. The firm is cashing in on Easter because there's no hint of what the Easter message is."

Steve Beever, the managing director of City Gent, defended the adverts which he said had received a mixed response and were designed to `get Christianity back on the agenda.'

He said: "I wanted to create a campaign which would promote the services of my business, but I also thought it would be a great opportunity to get people thinking about the religious aspect of Easter."

He said it was aimed at 18-35-year-olds and had received a `very positive' response from a number of passers-by - which he claims to include members of the clergy.

He added: "As a Christian and a business owner I wanted to provoke people into thinking about Easter, unlike the national retailers who use their huge advertising budgets to tell us that Easter is about chocolate and bunnies."

Mr Beever added: "We've used a modern representation of Jesus. I don't think we've been distasteful, we've not demonised Christ or denied the Easter story. You have to be different to get your message across."

The Manchester Diocese of the Church of England did not want to comment on the campaign.