The UK's major cinema chains have banned all adverts on the Scottish independence referendum after customers inundated them with complaints.

The pro-UK Better Together campaign said the vast majority of complaints had come from supporters of Scottish independence after Better Together and another pro-UK group, Vote No Borders, flooded Scottish cinemas with adverts urging a no vote.

The Odeon and Vue cinema chains confirmed that all the major chains, including the Cineworld group and UCI, had taken a collective decision to ban all referendum advertising from 5 June, a week into the four-month-long official campaign.

It is understood the ban, which the campaigns were notified of last week, will heavily affect the pro-independence Yes Scotland.

Along with showing one advert in some cinemas this month, it had been planning a major cinema blitz this summer at the peak of campaigning before the vote on 18 September. Better Together's cinema campaign ends next week.

A spokesperson for Yes Scotland said: "We understand there have been many complaints about the no campaign adverts. We are in touch with cinema chains about possible future screenings of yes ads, and will of course abide by their decision."

A Vue spokeswoman said: "Following feedback from our customers, which has been duly noted, we have taken the decision not to show any further campaign adverts. Along with the other leading cinema exhibitors, we will not be continuing with any additional campaigns beyond 5 June."

A Better Together spokesman confirmed some complaints might have been lodged by anti-independence voters against the Yes Scotland advert. But he said they had been told "load and loads" of complaints had been made about theirs, being shown at 59 cinemas.

The Better Together advert features the organisation's youth ambassadors, and had been booed in some cinemas. "The fact that so many nationalists complained about our positive cinema advert shows that they will do anything to close down debate in Scotland," he said.

"The idea that people in Scotland won't see anymore cinema adverts in this referendum campaign because nationalists can't tolerate open and honest debate about the future of our country is depressing in the extreme."

Paul Martin MSP, Scottish Labour's business manager in the Scottish parliament, said: "It's a sad day for Scottish democracy if complaints or abuse means the arguments can't be put in this debate. What kind of message does this send to the rest of the world about Scotland? We have to have a mature and civilised debate."

The Odeon said: "Alongside all major cinema chains in Scotland, Odeon is currently showing two adverts on the upcoming Scottish Independence referendum.

"Funded for and by the Scottish public, the yes and no adverts are screened ahead of a number of films although they may not necessarily appear back-to-back. Each campaign is given equal weighting to ensure there is no preference to either argument. The adverts will run until 5 June."