EastEnders bosses have received thousands of complaints about the death of character Danielle Jones.

Almost 5,500 fans have signed an online petition against the soap character dying after she was ran over by Janine Butcher in last Thursday's episode.

The angry petitioners want producers to re-write storylines with a view to letting Danielle, played by Lauren Crace, make a shock return.

The petition, addressed to the show's executive producer Diederick Santer, said: "We, the fans of the show, believe it is a mistake to write out the most pivotal character in possibly the best storyline EastEnders has had.

"Although we realise it may not be possible to change the storyline and bring Lauren back, we hope that you will ensure her character's exit leaves a door open for her return."

Irate soap fans have also left angry messages on the blog of The Mirror's TV columnist saying: "The BBC should be ashamed of themselves to have misjudged the popularity of this character."