EastEnders Lola distraught by fight

EastEnders' Lola Pearce is to be left "miserable" after Phil Mitchell and ex Sharon Rickman fight for custody of baby Lexi.

Lola, played by Danielle Harold, saw the baby - whose dad is Phil's son Ben - taken into care after she was accused of assault. But things are set to get worse as former flames Phil (Steve McFadden) and Sharon (Letitia Dean) battle for custody for his grandchild.

An insider told The Sun: "Phil has been pushing for full custody ever since he found out he was Lexi's granddad. He has been pretty lonely since the rest of his family deserted him and sees Lexi as a new start."

They continued: "He has remained close to Sharon and she helps him with his plan. But Lola is left miserable after begging to be allowed to take Lexi home herself."

The storyline, which received 556 complaints over the last two and a half weeks, came under fire from the head of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), who branded it "disgraceful" and accused the BBC of being "too lazy and arrogant to get it right."

But the BBC said in a statement: "It is not our intention to portray social workers in a negative light. Whilst the audience has seen how much Lola loves Lexi, and seen her behaving responsibly in caring for her baby, her social worker has not."