A community radio station which goes out across Swale has been found in breach of the broadcasters’ code after a presenter called a listener a “poof”.

The remark was made during a BRFM drivetime show on July 21 after the DJ played a song requested by a listener called Jason.

After the track, The Garden, by Take That, ended, the female presenter addressed the listener, saying a member of station staff, “just called you a poof.”

It led to a complaint to government communications regulator, Ofcom, which found the Sheppey-based station in breach of rule 2.3 of the code, which ensures potentially offensive on-air material is justified by the context.

In its report, the authority said: “Given the likely expectations of the audience for programming of this nature on a community radio station, Ofcom did not consider this pejorative use of the word “poof” was justified by the context.”

“The comment was all meant in jest and not meant to be derogatory.

“It was a message from one friend to another and we apologised to all parties involved - there was not meant to be any offence” - Karen Day, station manager.

Karen Day, station manager at BRFM, said the group “held up our hands” to the breach, which she said was “banter” between two presenters and “not presenter to a listener.”

She said: “The comment was all meant in jest and not meant to be derogatory.

“It was a message from one friend to another and we apologised to all parties involved - there was not meant to be any offence.”

Ms Day said the stand-in presenter, who has not been named, had not been on air since the incident and didn’t know if she would return.

“She feels really bad about what was said,” Ms Day added.

In noting the comment was intended as a joke, Ofcom’s report said: “In our view, this would not have been clear to listeners, who would therefore have been likely to assume that it was used in a derogatory context.”

Last week, BRFM, which is based at Windy Ridge on Minster Cliffs, celebrated its eighth year of broadcasting.

Ms Day said: “It is not the policy of BRFM to offend or abuse anyone.

“We encourage interaction with all people and do not discriminate against age, disability, gender, race, religion, beliefs or sexual orientation.”

In its report, Ofcom said it noted the measures taken by the station to improve compliance “after it was alerted to this matter.”