John Lennon's son Sean has defended the use of footage of his father in an advert for car company Citroen.

The late Beatle's family, including his widow Yoko Ono, have come under fire over the advert, which also uses Lennon voice.

Many fans on Twitter have accused the family of having “sold out” on Lennon's legacy.

However, Sean Lennon said that the footage was licensed to keep his father “out there in the world” and “not for money”.

In a post on Twitter, he wrote: "Having just seen [the] ad I realise why people are mad. But [the] intention was not financial."

Sean, a singer, also defended his mother, saying her intention was to keep the Beatles star in the “public conciousness”.

Citroen have previously stated that Lennon's image was used because of his "universal, timeless and iconic status”.

Unveiled in the UK last month, the advert is for Citroen's new DS3 hatchback model.

(by Jason Gregory)