A scene in the family soap Emmerdale that featured a disfiguring acid attack has prompted more than 200 complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom.

The episode, which aired on Thursday night and was seen by almost 7 million viewers, saw Ross Barton left with a disfigured face after having acid thrown at him by the drug dealer Simon McManus.

Ofcom said it had received 228 complaints from viewers. Britain has one of the highest rates of acid and corrosive substance attacks in the world.

“We are assessing these complaints under our broadcasting rules before deciding whether or not to investigate,” said an Ofcom spokeswoman.

The episode aired at 7pm, with 6.6 million viewers tuning in, more than a third of the British public who were watching TV at that time.

Q&A What should you do if you see someone attacked with acid? Show In the event of an acid attack, it's important to act quickly. The first step in response is to douse the victim in running water or saline (salt water) to dilute the acid. Keep washing the affected area with cool water continuously until it becomes less painful. This can take 45 minutes or even longer. Do not try to brush the acid off with your hands as it could result in you getting burned too. Do not attempt to add cream to soothe the burns.



Ofcom said that most of the viewers who complained were concerned that such a violent scene was aired before the 9pm watershed, when many families and younger viewers would have seen it.

“Emmerdale has a long track record of tackling difficult and topical storylines and the unprovoked acid attack upon Ross is another example of this,” said a spokeswoman for Emmerdale.

Ross, played by Michael Parr, was the victim of the acid attack in a case of mistaken identity. After Simon threw the acid viewers saw Ross’s face become scarred.

Emmerdale had warned before the scene aired that viewer discretion was advised.

“We take our responsibility seriously when portraying what happens in these circumstances,” said the spokeswoman for Emmerdale. “Consequently, the storyline was researched thoroughly with medical experts at Pinderfields hospital. For the sequence following Ross’s attack we adhered carefully to the NHS guidelines about how to help people who are the victim of an acid attack.”

The controversial storyline has been in the works for some time, with Parr confirming several months ago that an acid attack would be taking place.

“It’s a big responsibility and one that I was very nervous about taking on,” said the actor in a recent interview. “I know it’s a reality for some people and it’s so important to get it right and do the story justice. The Emmerdale team have done extensive research and we really want to raise awareness of the devastating consequences an attack like this has on a person’s life.”

The Emmerdale spokeswoman confirmed that the storyline had been mapped out in consultation with a victim of an acid attack.

“We also specifically researched this story with one particular victim who felt it important to share what happened to him with the Emmerdale production team,” she said.

Last month UK retailers including Tesco, B&Q and Wickes agreed to ban under-18s from buying products with harmful levels of acid or corrosive substances, following the launch of a voluntary government plan aimed at reducing attacks.

• This article was amended on 12 February 2018. A quote attributed to an ITV spokeswoman in the fourth paragraph was in fact from an Ofcom spokeswoman.