A BLACKBURN DJ today spoke of his embarrassment after being suspended for an X-rated prank broadcast to thousands of listeners.

Adam Catterall, known as The Cat, hosts a show from 7-10pm on Monday to Thursdays, on Rock FM a station which broadcasts to 330,000 people each week. He is also a resident DJ at Blackburn's Heaven and Hell nightclub.

During the final hour of a show broadcast in November he called an unidentified woman as part of a prank, but station bosses admit the segment went over the mark' when the woman began to use sexually explicit language during the four minute conversation.

Adam, 24, of Blackburn, was immediately suspended for three days and sent for retraining. He is now back on the air at the Preston-based radio station, and has since hosted the Christmas lights switch-on ceremony in Blackburn town centre, representing Rock FM.

Today he said: "All I want to do is provide entertaining radio. It started a while ago when a woman texted us by mistake and we rang her up to do a wind-up call. I did it live and it worked really well.

"When it happened again, with a different woman, we rang her up and I now realise that it working so well live the first time was a fluke.

"The day after it went on air I was talking to people I really respect in the industry and they were telling me it went too far and I understood what I had done wrong.

"I'm still quite new to it, and I am really grateful to Rock FM for standing by me and giving me another chance. I have had legal training now and know what I can and can't do on air.

"In hindsight, it isn't the sort of thing I would want my little lad to listen to. I am very sorry."

A spokesman for the radio station added: "This is a joke that got out of hand, but everyone deserves a second chance. We hope he has learned his lesson. He has told us he is very sorry and we will be keeping an eye on him to make sure there are no more cheeky slip-ups like that."

Catterall has been a presenter on Rock FM for about six months, after being promoted from his volunteer position as part of the station's Street Team' members of the public who help out with station events.

He replaced Clitheroe-born Martin Greenwood, who left to work at East Lancashire radio station, The Bee. He is also well known in Blackburn's pubs and clubs and was one of the main DJs at one of East Lancashire's biggest New Year's Eve parties, Loaded, at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors.