PENDLE actor Jody Latham has come under fire from soap fans after making his Eastenders debut — for speaking with a Lancashire accent.

Avid fans of the BBC1 primetime soap have flooded internet forums, complaining about the Barrowford actor’s ‘strong’ accent being difficult to understand.

Former Walton and Park High pupil Jody, who last week appeared in Albert Square for the first time, plays Paul, who is set to sexually exploit Whitney Dean in a hard-hitting storyline.

Despite being impressed by the 29-year-old’s acting skills, several of the programme’s fans have been less enamoured with his Lancashire twang.