ITV’s lunchtime show Loose Women has been reported to Ofcom after the panel were discussing a story of a woman who was prosecuted for taking £20 she found on the floor outside a shop.
But panellist Linda Robson slightly put her foot in it when she suggested that the shop looked “poor”.
The Birds of a Feather star said that the One Stop store, where the incident occurred, looked like it had customers who “didn’t have a lot of money”.
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Linda was joined on the panel with fellow panellists Ruth Langsford, Saira Khan and Ayda Field.
But after the actress’s comments, Blurton resident Kirsty Bailey has now reported the programme to broadcast watchdog Ofcom.
The 21-year-old told the Stoke Sentinel: “I just thought it was pretty disgusting to be honest. She knows nothing about the area.
“I felt she was speaking ill of the working class and the people of Blurton in general. With all the bad press the city has had recently – this is just another blow.”
She went on to add: “The people of Blurton are friendly and community-minded – there is nothing wrong with us.
“It would be nice to see people change their opinions of Stoke-on-Trent and other parts of the city. It was awful the way it was portrayed during the by-election.”
CCTV captured 23-year old Nicole Bailey pocketing the £20 before police were called.
It was later revealed that the note had been dropped by a wheel-chair bound customer.
As the topic of the story came up in discussion during the show, Linda said: “Whatever I lose, I always seem to get. I love those people who hand things in and that is why I’d always hand anything in that I found.”
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The star added: “If I found £20 in a shop I would have said, ‘Do you know who this belongs to?’ It looks like quite a poor shop – it’s not Waitrose or Marks and Spencer.
“It looks like they don’t have a lot of money, the people who shop there.”
Former Blurton councillor Roy Naylor said: “Linda Robson should be disgusted with herself. She has tarnished us all with the same brush.
“It sickens me to hear it to be honest. I thought these people would be above making stupid comments on television.”
He added: “It is not good for Blurton, or Stoke-on-Trent. We’ve had enough bad press, especially in national newspapers.
“The people round here help each other out. We’re all about supporting one another and we shouldn’t have outsiders criticising us.”