SCOTT Mills's Radio 1 show did not breach broadcasting rules with jokes about Essex girls, watchdog Ofcom has ruled.

The BBC show was investigated after it sparked complaints that quips were sexist and derogatory.

Jokes included "What's the first thing an Essex girl does in the morning? Goes home", "Why does an Essex girl wear knickers? To keep her ankles warm", and "What does an Essex girl say after her doctor tells her she is pregnant? Is it mine?".

An Ofcom spokesman said: "We investigated a series of jokes made in this programme broadcast as part of Comic Relief.

"While we acknowledge that some of the jokes had the potential to offend, we found they were unlikely to have exceeded most listeners' expectations."

The jokes were broadcast in March as Mills and fellow presenter Chris Stark stayed on air for 24 hours in a marathon show to raise money for Comic Relief.

Bobby Norris, from reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex (Towie), made the quips after the hosts of the Radio 1 show told listeners he was there to say a "couple of sets of Essex girl jokes".

Mills had told listeners: "I'd like to point out, before anyone complains, this is a person from Essex, living in Essex on a show (Towie) about Essex."

He added: "I'm enjoying this so much."

Other jokes, which were sent in by listeners, included "What's the difference between an Essex girl and an ironing board? Occasionally you have trouble getting the legs apart on an ironing board".

A BBC spokeswoman previously said: "No offence was intended by the jokes that were broadcast during Radio 1's 24-hour LOLathon to raise money for Comic Relief."

Ofcom assessed but will not investigate Good Morning Britain after Piers Morgan's comments, made in two shows in May, on gender identity resulted in more than 100 complaints.

A spokesman said: "We carefully assessed a number of complaints about an interview on non-binary gender assignment.

"We found that the presenter's challenging style of interviewing was likely to have been consistent with most viewers' expectations.

"We also took into account that he made clear his respect and support for the rights of transgender people, and acknowledged the importance of the debate."

It also assessed complaints that an episode of Britain's Got Talent could encourage children to engage in copycat behaviour after watching a contestant appear to swallow harmful objects, such as razor blades and balloons.

The spokesman said: "We assessed 12 complaints that a segment on this programme, which featured a participant swallowing harmful objects, could be copied by children. However, we found that it was sufficiently signposted with clear warnings."

Ofcom has also launched an investigation into CNN International's The World Right Now, over graphic images of a chemical attack in Syria, showing images of dead and dying children.

The images aired after several clear warnings to viewers.

The spokesman added: "We're investigating whether this news broadcast breached our rules on appropriate scheduling and generally accepted standards."