However, in an on-the-spot listening exercise carried out in October and published today, Ofcom said the station s music policy was in clear breach . Instead of playing 70% current adult music, it was playing less than 10% — opting instead for mainstream acts such as Madonna and Robbie Williams, peppered with classic rock songs such as The Who s My Generation .

Ofcom said: Listening to the station and carrying out analysis of the music logs for the three days, we noted that Ocean is currently interpreting its Adult Contemporary format in a very Adult Rock type of way. We therefore concluded that Ocean is in clear breach of its format, and a yellow card warning has been issued. If we find that these issues have been addressed when we monitor the station again, then the yellow card will be lifted.

The station could face a fine from Ofcom if it is found at a later date to have not remedied its music policy. The Ofcom report on Ocean FM is the latest in a series of measures taken by the regulator to ensure local radio stations are adhering to the format conditions written into their licences.

Last week, the regulator published the findings of its consultation into the future of radio, which could see stations being offered more flexibility to share programming or co-locate studios to save money.