Emmerdale has been blasted by angry viewers who’ve complained to to Ofcom over a “grim” dog scene.

It all kicked off last week when Belle King’s (Eden Draper-Taylor) twisted husband Tom King (James Chase) poisoned their cherished pooch Piper, an act designed to secure Belle’s release from a mental health facility.

The gut-wrenching episode sparked a backlash from viewers, with some so sickened they vowed to turn off for good. Despite the show’s efforts to calm the storm showing that Minnie, the dog actor playing Piper, was safe and sound with a behind-the-scenes clip, fans were having none of it.

One fuming viewer took to social media saying: “I think we’ll let @Ofcom decide on whether it was acceptable to include this in the storyline. Someone’s got to rein your show in from its mad dash to become a 9pm drama. Where’s the family-friendly plots? The laughs? It’s always so grim without any heads-up.”

Another chimed in about the knock-on effects: “People know Piper/Minnie is loved dearly, it’s the animal cruelty that everyone is upset about. It will give abusive partners, ideas.”, reports the Express.

A third person agreed: “I think most of us know the pup is fine, but there was no real need to show the extensive abuse that you did. The storyline has gone on far too long.”

A whopping 876 complaints hit Ofcom after Emmerdale aired some seriously controversial scenes, with a hefty 513 reports from the episode which aired on May 27 and another 363 the following day.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “The complaints were relating to storyline about the poisoning of a dog.” Following the backlash, Emmerdale also released a statement reassuring viewers. “These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set. We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever.”