Almost 50 company names were rejected over the last year because they were deemed potentially offensive.

The list of proposed company names rejected by Companies House included Blue Arsed Fly Designs Ltd, Fanny's Kebabs Ltd, Titanic Holdings Limited and Wags to Bitches Limited.

Some of the names may have been added later if justification was accepted.

A Companies House spokesperson said it was important the register was not abused by recording offensive names.

The proposed name records are only kept for 12 months.

The recent list was obtained by the BBC Wales under the Freedom of Information Act.

Among other rejected names were Robotdick Ltd, Dapper Dog and Stylish Bitch Ltd, Sugartits Ltd, Manwhore Limited, Sod it Systems Limited, and Cocktease Fashion Ltd, although some on the list seen by BBC Wales were later successfully registered.

A Companies House spokesperson said: "The index of company names is a publicly available statutory register and it's important that it is not abused by being used to register offensive names.

"A company must not be registered by a name if, in the opinion of the Secretary of State its use by the company would be offensive.

"The registrar acts on behalf of the Secretary of State and in forming that opinion considers whether a name would be offensive in any way to the general public."

Image caption Companies House employs about 1,000 staff in its UK offices, including in Cardiff

More than 3.5 million limited companies are registered in the UK, with about 500,000 new companies incorporated each year.

There are more than 100 sensitive words and expressions that require the prior approval of the secretary of state to use in a company or business name.

These words include benevolent, Britain/British, commission, inspectorate, licensing, standards and Windsor.

Guidance is also given on words and expressions that could imply a connection with a government department, a devolved administration or a local or specified public authority.

Use of some other words and expressions in a company or business name could be a criminal offence, including architect, building society, credit union, physician, social worker, solicitor and surgeon.

Company registrations for England and Wales are carried out in Cardiff, while registrations for Scotland and Northern Ireland are carried out in Edinburgh and Belfast.

Its main responsibilities are to incorporate and dissolve limited companies, examine and store company information and make information available to the public.

Company information can be found free of charge and documents filed online using the Companies House Service.