UNDER-FIRE TV station That's Oxfordshire has been criticised by the broadcasting watchdog for airing a racially offensive cartoon.

The local TV channel broadcast a 1944 Raggedy Ann cartoon which depicted a black person with exaggerated facial features and slow, slurred speech, an Ofcom investigation found.

The watchdog found it 'fell short of generally accepted standards' and - as it was aired at 11.20am on a Saturday, breached rules protecting children from unsuitable content.

It comes just weeks after a Buzzfeed News investigation revealed the channel was pulling in as few as 30 viewers a day despite being funded with public money.

Former culture minister Ed Vaizey, who worked under culture secretary Jeremy Hunt's team in bringing the Government initiative to life, called for the channel to be investigated.

That's Oxfordshire breached two Ofcom rules in showing the cartoon Suddenly It's Spring on March 17 this year, adding to the criticisms it received from the watchdog over poor quality in 2016.

Ofcom said the cartoon's character of Mr Cloud reinforced a negative and offensive racial stereotype.

Its judgment said: "In Ofcom's view the exaggerated facial features and indolent nature of the character reinforced an outdated, pejorative and harmful racial stereo type of a black person which was not suitable for children to view."

It took into account the fact that attitudes towards race were 'very different' in 1944 and that archive material can still be broadcast but said UK audiences today would find it highly unacceptable and there was no warning or context given.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We found that this cartoon fell short of generally accepted standards, and broke our rules designed to protect children from inappropriate content.

"It featured a character which, in our view, reinforced a negative and offensive racial stereotype."

That's TV founder Dan Cass said: "This cartoon was mistakenly marked as suitable for broadcast.

"Upon receipt of the complaint, the cartoon was reclassified to prevent any future scheduling.

"We apologise for any offence caused."