An appeal lodged by radio station Kiss FM against a fine imposed for playing adverts unsuitable when driving, was thrown out on Tuesday by the supreme constitutional court.

In the ruling made public on Wednesday, the court said the radio station had challenged the initial decision by the administrative court, which said Kiss FM had broken the law by playing two advertisements – Burger King and Esso – which included the hooting of horns in the audio.

The adverts had been played on May 26, 2017, between 6.42pm and 6.47pm.

Kiss FM had been fined €500 by the administrative court.

The law forbids playing adverts that could mislead or cause panic, especially by mimicking a news bulletin.

The adverts in question were considered dangerous as drivers could be misled into thinking someone was hooting at them, which could place drivers and passengers in danger.

The appellants said this was not the case, as the hooting was a low, background sound.

The appeals court upheld the administrative court’s ruling and charged Kiss FM €4,200 in expenses.