Coronation Street fans were incensed as Roy Cropper was jailed after being charged with the murder of missing teen Lauren Bolton during Friday’s episode of the ITV soap.

Café owner Roy, played by David Neilson, 75, has spent weeks as Detective Sergeant Lisa Swain’s (Vicky Myers) prime suspect since he foolishly deep cleaned Lauren’s (Cait Fitton) flat after she mysteriously disappeared. 

The situation got more complicated for Roy when a woman pretending to be Lauren’s mother visited the cafe and ended up in a tussle with him, before falling and hitting her head.

When the hunt for Lauren became a murder inquiry, Roy was taken in for questioning and found himself a victim of internet trolling, and at the centre of much lurid speculation from armchair sleuths.

On Friday, DS Swain questioned Roy about the incident and delved deep into his history, with solicitor Dee Dee at his side.

Coronation Street fans were incensed as Roy Cropper was jailed after being charged with the murder of missing teen Lauren Bolton during Friday’s episode of the ITV soap

Roy, played by David Neilson, 75, has spent weeks as Detective Sergeant Lisa Swain’s prime suspect since he deep cleaned Lauren’s (Cait Fitton, right) flat after she disappeared

Dee Dee then returned to Roy’s cafe – Roy’s Rolls – where she broke the news that he had been charged with Lauren’s murder and was being held in police custody.

Back at the police station a terrified and confused Roy sat alone in a dark cell, dreading his pending court hearing.

Viewers of the episode were left seething, branding the storyline ‘ridiculous’ while threatening to abandon the soap altogether.

One person wrote on Twitter: ‘Catching up with #Corrie, the Roy Cropper storyline is their most ridiculous yet.’

Someone else wrote: ‘Oh wow…… Coronation Street are RUINING a show that’s been on decades. What is going on with the writers of this show!? Arresting ROY CROPPER for murder!? Why not arrest Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy while you’re at it?’

While someone else posted: ‘This Roy Cropper storyline is ridiculous, how can he be charged with murder without a shred of evidence presented! I am sorry, but it really is a horrid story, out of all the men in the street and you choose the least likely man!’

Another viewer commented: ‘Gone right off #corrie & stopping watching. Why go down this track ? #RoyCropper didn’t do it …Lauren is probably down in London as that’s where most of them go!’

‘Free Roy Cropper, he is innocent. Shame on @itvcorrie for thinking that this is a good storyline, it’s not. #FreeRoyCropper,’ demanded another audience member at home.

Viewers of the episode were left seething, branding the storyline ‘ridiculous’ while threatening to abandon the soap altogether

While someone else remarked: ‘This @itvcorrie storyline with Roy is so weak. Why are the police so dumb and so against Roy in the first place? It’s just so unbelievable. #corrie #itv #roycropper.’

Another former fan protested: ‘My wife and I have decided to cease watching what is probably the worst storyline ever based around Roy Cropper. Proper scraping the barrel, irritating and unrealistic are only two words of many I could choose.’

And someone else wrote: ‘An all-time low for the show I fear.’

With no information on Lauren’s whereabouts and no other real suspects for the crime, Roy’s family need to get to the bottom of what really happened to Lauren.

Actor David, said: ‘Roy is innocent in every respect, he is innocent of the crime, but he is also an innocent soul. 

‘He never thought for one minute it would come to this, he truly felt that if he simply answered everything honestly it would all be okay and he was naive to assume that being innocent meant that he would be seen to be innocent.

‘What I like about this storyline is the way it has gone back 29 years to 1995 when Roy first arrived. 

The situation got more complicated for Roy when a woman pretending to be Lauren’s mother visited the cafe and ended up in a tussle with him, before falling and hitting her head 

‘It is reminiscent of that early Roy Cropper when people were suspicious of his behaviour and thought he was creepy.

‘And all this history will be used against him, things that have happened in the past like abducting their foster child. 

‘All that makes this storyline interesting to play and to watch it unfold.’

Coronation Street continues on Monday 15 April on ITV1 at 8pm.