AN online petition has been started in order to get Southend-raised BBC Radio 2 DJ, Steve Wright kicked off the air.

The petition, started by Andrew Warner, has already accumulated more than 250 signatures since it was started in July.

The 62-year-old is currently a DJ on BBC Radio 2, presenting “Steve Wright in the Afternoon” and “Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs”.

He recently had his salary revealed by the BBC, which stated that he earns between £500,000 and £549,999 per annum for his shows, making him the seventh highest earner at the BBC.

He was educated at Eastwood School, in Southend, and also delivered the Echo newspaper when he was younger.

Mr Wright has spent much of his 30-year radio career at the BBC, with his shows often dividing opinion. But now it seems some listeners are fed up and have launched the online petition in an effort to get him replaced.

Writing on the website, Mr Warner says: “Steve Wright’s Radio 2 afternoon show is a daily round of endless sickening self-congratulation, toadying and God-awful attempts at humour by a DJ who should have been retired years ago.”

As well as its 250 plus signatures, a number of people made some scathing comments about the 62-year-old, criticising his work and urging him step down.

Andrew Beadle said: “I don’t know how long this man-child has been polluting my afternoons with his radio show. Until recently I assumed he was working for the BBC ‘gratis’ and that they felt too guilty to get rid of him.”

Jon Chilton added: “I’m forced to listen to Radio 2 at work and this show is the worst! Every aspect is annoying, particularly when he sings over the song. And what is Serious Jockin’ all about? His crew are absolutely rubbish too!”

‘Serious Jockin’ is part of the Friday shows where he plays a host of tracks after 4pm which supposedly get listeners in the mood for the weekend.

This particular part of his show came under particular scrutiny on the petition.

Anita Jackson said: “The way that he bigs himself up and gets his listeners to big him up is excruciating! Why does everyone have to say, ‘love the show’?

“And as for Serious Jockin’ - it should be made illegal. It’s time he went.”

But a BBC spokesman said: “Steve Wright remains hugely popular on Radio 2, with a weekly audience of 7.7 million listeners.”

The petition is at: ipetitions.com/petition/no_more_stevewright