Are there no rules against airing scenes this sad before the watershed?

A few months back, Emmerdale ran an acid attack storyline. It featured Ross Barton, a case of mistaken identity, and a life-changing injury that left the father with a possible drug addiction and a struggle to look past the scars on his face. Tonight, however, a glimmer of the old Ross returned as he spoke to his son in the park - something he hadn't been able to do for fear that Moses would reject him. Crouching down in front of his son, with Cain standing nearby, Ross did his best to explain to his son why his face had changed. He said:

 "Remember when you had a bad knee and it was all gooey and disgusting? And then you went to the hospital and the doctors fixed it? "Daddy has a bad face now. But it'll get better. I've just got a sore face, that's all mate. I may not still look like your daddy, but I still sound like your daddy."

Genuinely heartbreaking. Viewers thought so too and they took to Twitter to commend actor Michael Parr for handling the scene so well. They also said that they were in absolute bits... and we don't blame them. https://twitter.com/HusnaAtif1/status/971486533927755786 https://twitter.com/gmiss32/status/971481905320333312 https://twitter.com/amyleigh95/status/971477269372985346 https://twitter.com/TanakaBro4Neigh/status/971483891428192256 Ross's brush with drug addiction comes after Coronation Street's Billy Mayhew resorted to taking heroin in a church. The scene in question received 84 complaints from viewers, who said that it was "disrespectful" and "too disturbing" to be broadcast before the watershed.