CORONATION Street fans are heartbroken after Eccles the dog died.
The former pup of the legendary Blanche Hunt had been in the show for more than 14 years after Blanche’s friend died and left her to him.
And when Blanche died, her son-in-law Ken Barlow took the dog on as a companion.
But after years of loyalty tonight’s episode saw Emma Brooker left dog-sitting when Eccles became seriously ill.
Hairdresser Emma rushed the Border Terrier to the vet to receive the heartbreaking news that she was suffering from a tumour.
However with Ken uncontactable on a day trip and Steve and Tracy still in Scotland, it was left to Emma to decide what to do.
The vet told Emma: “Unfortunately the tumour has spread to other organs – it’s impossible to remove. The growth is inoperable and it will only get worse.
“We could wake her up and she may live a few more days but those days would be spent in a lot of pain. The humane thing to do would be to not bring her round from an anaesthetic.”
And when Ken arrived he was devastated to have lost his beloved pet – but not quite as much as viewers who were utterly heartbroken.
One wrote: “RIP eccles, a true coronation street icon #corrie”
A second said: “Nooo please not Eccles – I’m an emotional wreck right now as it is #Corrie”
Another added: “Poor Eccles, WHY COULDN’T IT HAVE BEEN GEOFF INSTEAD WHY?? #Eccles #Corrie”
