Home and Away fans have been left divided over a storyline set to rock Summer Bay in the coming weeks as many branded it ‘absolutely stupid’.

Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) left Summer Bay last month to visit the city for a health check up and is set to return with new friend Bronte (Stefanie Caccamo).

A teaser for next week’s episodes showed the pair arriving back into town after meeting at a hospital when Bronte was in ‘quite a state’, with Irene saying she could live with her until she gets back on her feet.

‘I don’t like this storyline already,’ one fan complained, while another said there were ‘too many scam stories over the years’.

Others remarked that the plot was similar to a recent storyline involving Leah (Ada Nicodemou), who returned from a mental health retreat with a mysterious new friend looking to exploit her.

‘Oh geez we just had Leah manipulated now this. Predictable,’ said another social media user.

‘What an absolutely stupid storyline this is going to be. Been there, done that,’ replied someone else.

‘I’m getting sick of some of these storylines. I’m thinking I don’t want to watch Home and Away anymore. It’s getting ridiculous,’ another fan remarked.

Viewers also complained about the sheer volume of negative storylines involving Irene, a fan favourite character who has been on the show since 1993.

‘Oh no… someone else in Summer Bay to take advantage/manipulate/rip off/torture Irene. How much can this woman endure?’ one fan protested.

‘Here we go again. Didn’t something similar happen to Irene a couple of years ago? Once bitten twice shy,’ someone else complained.

One more user echoed these sentiments, saying ‘Give her a break will ya?’