Sky News presenter pressed Nick Varney on condition of victim of crash that injured 16 people, leading to petition calling for Ofcom investigation

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Media regulator Ofcom has received more than 1,100 complaints about Sky News presenter Kay Burley’s questioning of the chief executive of Alton Towers’ owners following last week’s rollercoaster crash.

The regulator said on Wednesday it has received 1,162 complaints about Burley’s interview with Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainment, as she grilled him about the accident on the park’s The Smiler ride which left 16 people injured.

“Ofcom has received 1,162 complaints about Kay Burley’s interview with Alton Towers chief executive, Nick Varney, on Sky News on 3 June,” said a spokesman.

“We will assess these complaints before deciding whether to investigate or not.”



In the interview, Burley pressed Varney to reveal whether a report that one of the victims had lost a leg was true.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kay Burley interviews the chief executive of Alton Towers owner Merlin Entertainment

“We are deeply sorry for the accident that happened,” he said.

Burley replied: “I’m sure they are not interested in your sympathy at this stage. They went to have a fantastic day and they have potentially lost a limb – you won’t tell us if they have or not.”

He responded: “With all due respect, to be telling you stuff like that … That is absolutely personal information to those individuals and their families.”

Varney later accused Burley of “misrepresenting” what he was saying, which she denied.

So far almost 27,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org calling for the regulator to launch a formal investigation into the interview.