Kay Burley cleared by Ofcom after controversial Alton Towers interview

After complaints and a petition, the watchdog decided the interview was fine

Kay Burley has been accused of being confrontational (Rex Features)

Kay Burley will not face an Ofcom investigation after an interview with the Alton Towers boss was branded "awful" by some viewers.

Burley was criticised for what some thought was a "patronising" and aggressive interview. More than 1,500 people complained to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom about the interview, and a petition was launched calling for her to be sacked.

In the Sky News interview, Burley grilled Nick Varney, the boss of the company that owns Alton Towers.

Ofcom said it would assess the complaints before investigating, and has reached the conclusion that Burley did nothing wrong.

"We received a number of complaints about Kay Burley’s questioning style during an interview about an accident at Alton Towers," a statement read.

"We have carefully assessed whether this interview exceeded generally accepted standards.

"In our view, the interviewee was able to respond fully to the questions and put his position across.

"As a result, we have not taken the matter forward for investigation."

During the interview, Burley said: "People were seriously injured, and there are suggestions that someone's lost a limb as a result of what happened at Alton Towers," she said. "Has somebody lost a limb on that ride?"

When Varney said that Merlin Entertainment was "deeply sorry" for the accident, Burley responded saying that she was "sure [the family] are not interested in your sympathy at this stage."

Over 55,000 people had signed a Change.org petition calling for Burley to be sacked.