An advert by French car maker Renault has created quite a stir in Gisburn.

Some residents are angry that the village is mocked in an advertising campaign for the Mégane which depicts a sun-drenched French resort, in stark contrast to a dismal portrayal of the Ribble Valley village to establish which has the greatest “joie de vivre” (the joy of living).

The campaign, created by advertising agency Publicis London, asks “Can a car change a town?” and follows Frenchman Claude as he drives to Gisburn from the south of France aiming to bring “joie de vivre” to the Ribble Valley.

Renault visited Gisburn for five days in early July, filming and hosting a party at The White Bull and raffled off a Mégane and donated £5,000 to village organisations.

A Renault spokesman said: “Gisburn was chosen for having no new Méganes, being quintessentially British, and for having a relatively quiet social scene.

“This is the first phase of a light-hearted comparison of two villages.”

Giles Bridge, chairman of the Gisburn Festival Hall Committee, said the advertising campaign would eventually show the village in a good light.

But Robert Giles, 43, said: “They are taking the mickey out of us. I hope by the end of the advert they can make some sort of recompense.”

Shopkeeper Zivana Hodson said: “It paints a bad picture of Gisburn. This a nation-wide advertisement and could put people off coming to visit.”

However, Mr Bridge said Renault did a lot of things for Gisburn and had got the village on the map.