Jeremy Clarkson slammed for joke about death of 23 Chinese cockle-pickers

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In a column for a tabloid newspaper, Clarkson mocked the sport of synchronised swimming as "Chinese women in hats, upside down, in a bit of water", adding: "You can see that sort of thing on Morecambe Beach. For free."

It comes after Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, received 30,000 complaints about Clarkson when he said during a TV interview that public sector workers who went on strike in November should be "executed in front of their families".

Last month he was again accused of offensive behaviour when he mocked Indian culture in a Christmas special of Top Gear, the BBC motoring programme. And there were further allegations that he had trivialised suicide by suggesting that people who throw themselves under trains were "selfish".

Tracy Brown, a Morecambe town councillor, said: "I choose to ignore such comments and treat them with the contempt they deserve. In fact, this is beneath contempt.

"He is just trying to make himself look big at other people's expense. Many people around here were deeply affected by the tragedy."

Ms Dai Qingli, a spokeswoman for theChinese Embassy, said: "We deplore and oppose Mr Clarkson's comments, which are insulting and show a woeful disrespect of decency and moral standards. We regret that The Sun has publicised such remarks. "
Philip Ling, a member of the Chinese Lib Dems who contested Bromsgrove for the party in the 2010 general election, called the comments "insensitive".
He said: "It is time for Jeremy Clarkson to take a step back and think about what he writes."
The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire.
The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were working illegally for gangmasters.
Shortly after the tragedy, then MP Ann Winterton had the Tory whip removed after making a joke about the Morecambe Bay tragedy at a Whitehall dinner party.