A Mother’s Day advert that featured missing child Madeleine McCann has been deemed ‘offensive’ and banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
They were shared alongside a message that read: “With burgers this good, you’ll leave your kids at home. What’s the worst that could happen? Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there.”
The ASA has now upheld three complaints it received about the post and said that the Otley Burger Company’s posts ‘trivialised the circumstances surrounding Madeleine’s disappearance and made light of a distressing news story concerning reports of child abduction and serious crime’, The Hoot reports.
There were similar copies of the advert (which the owner stated ‘is not an advert …’ in its caption) on Facebook and Twitter – all of have been deemed ‘likely to cause distress’.
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The Mother’s Day advert, which featured a photo of Madeleine McCann, has been banned. Image: The Otley Burger Company
The watchdog said: “The ASA considered the nature of the content to be of such a concern that we asked the relevant social media platforms to remove the content and suspend the account pending our investigation.
“The Otley Burger Company said that they would not use photos of Kate McCann in that manner again or superimpose images of Madeleine McCann being kidnapped. They said that all ads had been removed and would not be appearing again. They also said the image was a meme and there was no product placement, so it was not advertising.
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“Meta stated that they had reviewed the content in the Instagram post and had removed it for violating their policies. They undertook a broader review of the Instagram account, removed further content and placed restrictions on the account.
“Twitter said the tweet had been deleted.”
Since the controversial social media posts were published, the Leeds takeaway owner has received backlash, including for the comments made on Mother’s Day where the business uses an offensive Madeleine McCann.
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Madeleine McCann was abducted whilst on holiday with her family in 2007 and has remained a high-profile missing person case around the world ever since. / Image: Gideon, Flickr
On Instagram, arguments broke out about the post with some suggesting the meme-style advertisement was uncalled for: “Let’s start a PR stunt using someone else’s dead daughter. [You’re] just a greasy burger flipper stay in your lane”.
Other said: “Madeleine McCann and her mum in this post ? Seems a bit sick and in very poor taste” to which the Otley Burger Company, clearly unphased, replied “only thing sick here is our photoshopping skillz”.
The ASA took the high-profile case of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance into account, along with the date – Mother’s Day – that the images were posted.
Their statement continued: “We noted that the ads were all posted on 27 March 2022 which was Mother’s Day. We considered that in combination with the images, the posting of the ads on that date was intended to further add to the shock factor and offensive nature of the ads. We also considered it was likely to have compounded the distress of those who saw the ads, and particularly for those who may have experienced the disappearance of a child.”
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The Otley Burger Company has been told not to republish the advertisements to avoid ‘causing serious and widespread offence and distress’.
The Otley Burger Company has not yet publicly comment on the ruling.
Feature Image- The Otley Burger Company
News
Gary Lineker set to leave BBC this week following more controversy
Danny Jones
Former footballer and veteran presenter Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC earlier than expected following further political controversies and social media backlash.
Lineker has been butting heads with the presenter for a couple of years now, being suspended by the national corporation back in March 2023 for his comments about language used by the Conservative government, and has continued to take issue with certain aspects of their news coverage.
He has since gone on to share a further video expressing his regret over what he called an “honest mistake”, as well as confirming that he will be making a premature exit from the BBC.
As you can see in the clip above, he says: “I apologise unreservedly for the hurt and upset caused,” insisting that he didn’t see the emoji in question
Lineker is now expected to leave following his final Match of the Day programme this weekend after having already confirmed he would be leaving the role after 26 years at the end of the season.
The ex-English footballer was set to present the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, but given the latest furore, he will be stepping away ahead of schedule.
Having gradually wound down his work with networks like TNT Sports (previously BT Sport) and the BBC in recent years, he has been slowly shifting his focus to his own Goalhanger Podcasts company, which includes several popular audio formats under The Rest Is… brand, including his own flagship The Rest Is Football show.
He goes on to add that he’s “stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and against all forms of racism all my life.” Since the most recent Israel-Palestine conflicts began, he’s been particularly outspoken on the events. One recent interview with the BBC itself sparked plenty of discussion online.
Gary Lineker, "What's going on there (Gaza), the mass murder of thousands of children is something we should have an opinion on"
Amol Rajan, "The BBC needs to be impartial about it"
Lineker reiterated that he would never “knowingly share anything antisemitic” and removed the problematic post as soon as he was made aware.
Nevertheless, the BBC and director general Tim Davie have been facing pressure to address the situation ever since it happened, with many calling for the household name to be sacked.
It seems the ex-Everton, Leicester, Spurs and Barcelona player has made the decision for them.
As he goes on to conclude, despite expressing gratitude regarding his relationship with the BBC, he feels the “time is right […’ to go our separate ways.”
“Wildfires can spread quickly and cause devastation to the land and wildlife on it,” explained GMFRS’s wildfire lead and national tactical adviser for wildfires, Ady Taylor, “so it’s vitally important that people call 999 as soon as they think they see a fire.”
He continued: “We want people to enjoy the countryside and moorland we have in Greater Manchester, but… [we] remind people to always act responsibly while out enjoying these environments.
“This means no BBQs, fires or fireworks – as they can easily result in wildfires.”
On Wednesday 14 May 2025, a teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of arson and interviewed by police in relation to the incident, and then the following day on Thursday 15 May 2025, another two boys were also arrested – with each of the three having now been released on bail pending further enquiries while investigations are ongoing.
Three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a large moorland fire in Bury / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Detective Inspector Andy Wright, from GMP’s Bury district, added: “The moorland fire is being investigated as arson following information from a witness and enquiries we have made.
“We have managed to apprehend three teenagers in relation to this incident, all of them have been bailed following interviews with our officers.”
GMP and GMFRS is reminding Greater Manchester residents that if they see a fire in the countryside, they need to report it immediately, leave the area as soon as possible, and dial 999, and if you witness illegal activity in relation to the fire, then you can report it to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
“Fires can have such a devastating effect, and we are lucky that this has not caused a significant amount of damage, or cost lives,” Detective Inspector Andy Wright concluded.
Sophie Smith -
20th April 2022 
