An American cartoon show has been met with outrage after showing a sketch about the victims of the Lockerbie bombing.

The Family Guy episode, which has already been aired in the USA, includes a nursery rhyme describing babies and body parts falling from the sky.

The mother of one of the Lockerbie victims has described the sequence as “horrible and painful”.

259 people were killed on board Pan Am flight 103 on December 21 1988, and a further 11 people on the ground lost their lives in the tragedy.

The Family Guy series is watched by millions of people around the world, and has the same cult status as The Simpsons and South Park.

Christine Grahame MSP said: “I’ve spoken to rescuers who were there at the time, and for them it’s still so horrible that they can’t talk about it.

“So I think that it’s disgraceful. It should never have been played.”

The sketch has also drawn criticism from those who live in the Dumfries and Galloway town. Lockerbie resident Maxwell Kerr said: “I think it’s disgusting.”

Amidst calls for the episode to be banned, BBC3, which airs The Family Guy in the UK, said that it is currently reviewing whether or not it would show the episode.

The series has come under fire before for its brand of humour, most recently from former Governor Sarah Palin after an episode featuring a character with Down’s syndrome.