Radio station talkSPORT has been censured after two presenters made derogatory comments about homosexuals.

Regulator Ofcom upheld a complaint about Mike Mendoza's linking of homosexuality with paedophilia and another when former Sun journalist Garry Bushell called homosexuality a "perversion".

During Mendoza's live phone-in programme, he introduced the subject of footballers making appeals over the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann. He said: "Paedophiles in general are the type of people that surely would not follow football... not many gay people to the best of my knowledge are great football fans."

Ofcom called the comments "highly offensive" and could not be justified by the context. talkSPORT and Mendoza apologised for the remarks, and the presenter was suspended for a week.

In the second incident, Bushell joined a discussion on the Football First programme about a gay rights demonstration in Moscow. Commenting on the fact that gay rights activist Peter Tatchell had been attacked by anti-gay protesters and arrested by Russian riot police, he said: "I think there are a lot of things to put right in this country before you go around preaching the gospel of perversion”.

talkSPORT acknowledged Bushell was wrong to use the words he did and said he regretted it. The broadcaster added his comments were made "off the cuff" and not the subject of discussion. Ofcom welcomed talkSPORT's acknowledgement but added the claim the comments were made “off the cuff” did not mitigate the fact it was a live broadcast in which a presenter made an inflammatory remark about homosexuality that would generally be regarded as a derogatory and offensive comment.

Following the two breaches of broadcasting standards, Ofcom reminded talkSPORT that given these programmes are broadcast live, it is important its presenters are fully briefed in advance about the potential for certain topics and types of remarks to cause offence to the audience.