Viewers of the BBC's chilling Rochdale abuse drama Three Girls erupted with anger when they learned that the hero sexual health worker lost her job after the case.

Fans were left 'disgusted' when Thursday night's finale revealed that Sara Rowbotham was 'excluded from future initiatives on child grooming' and later fired.

Furious Twitter users said Ms Rowbotham, played by Maxine Peake, should have been knighted for her efforts in exposing the horrific sex abuse - not 'forced out of her career'.

Viewers of the BBC's chilling Rochdale abuse drama Three Girls erupted with anger when they learned that hero sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham (right) lost her job after the case. Pictured left, actress Maxine Peake who took on the role

Fans were left 'disgusted' when they learned in Thursday night's finale that Sara Rowbotham (second from right) was 'excluded from future initiatives on child grooming' and later fired

Furious Twitter users said Ms Rowbotham, played by Maxine Peake, should have been knighted for her efforts in bringing the sex abuse case to light - not 'forced out of her career'

At the end of the series, producers explained that Ms Rowbotham was made redundant - despite the evidence she collected still being used to prosecute child sex offenders for crimes dating back to 2003.

'Made redundant?! She should've been bloody knighted,' one user wrote.

'Sara Rowbotham made redundant because she 'embarrassed' the system by exposing their gross negligence. Disgusted, not surprised,' another added.

A third vented: 'No police officers were prosecuted for their failings but Sara Rowbotham was their saviour and lost her job? Disgrace.'

Yet another viewer asked: 'When is #SaraRowbotham going to be made a Dame for services to children eh? Praise not damage for heroes like her please?!'

'Sara Rowbotham MBE please,' a fifth fan agreed.

Others penned: 'Sara Rowbotham was the only person who actually did something gets excluded and then made redundant?!? Really? Disgusting!'

Another added: 'Can't help but feel Sara Rowbotham was royally screwed over the 2008 Rochdale case. She's a hero in my eyes.'

At the end of the series, producers explained that Ms Rowbotham was made redundant - despite the evidence she collected still being used to prosecute child sex offenders for crimes dating back to 2003

The real Ms Rowbotham, now a councillor, made more than 100 referrals to police after starting to see a pattern in her line of sexual health work

Viewers called Ms Rowbotham the girls' 'saviour' and said she deserved an MBE for her efforts

Many viewers credited DC Maggie Oliver as well, portrayed by actress Lesley Sharp.

'Sara Rowbotham and Maggie Oliver are heroes of our time. Standing up for what is right is so much harder than standing by,' one wrote.

'Horrifying that those most dedicated to the girls, Maggie and Sara, were vilified and forced out of their careers,' another added.

'Surprise surprise - the two women who helped these girls - one resigned, one made redundant - the system stinks!' a third wrote furiously.

It comes after Wednesday night's episode saw a gripping scene between Sara Rowbotham and DC Maggie Oliver.

At the heart of the stand-off between the two women lies the real story of the years they spent battling for the horrific abuse taking place in Rochdale, Manchester, to be taken seriously.

Left, former DC Maggie Oliver, who says abuse is still going on in Rochdale, with 'hundreds' of paedophiles walking the streets, and right, the sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham, who exposed the scandal

Many viewers credited DC Maggie Oliver as well, portrayed by actress Lesley Sharp

The precious Peake's character - complaining that girls had been 'raped, beaten, not believed, raped, beaten, not believed' - cut police down to size when they finally agreed to re-examine the allegations.

It mirrors the genuine frustration felt by Sara Rowbotham, who had been referring cases to police in Manchester since 2004, without getting anywhere.

DC Maggie Oliver had worked on cases before Operation Span, where she had convinced young women to trust her only to be told no charges were going to be brought.

According to the Telegraph, the real Ms Rowbotham, now a councillor, made more than 100 referrals to police after starting to see a pattern in her line of sexual health work.

These began in 2004, but it wasn't until 2012 that convictions were made against nine of the men involved in the abuse.

She suffered personally with poor health after the true nature of the sex ring was exposed and ended up being made redundant from her job in 2014.

Sara Rowbotham and DC Maggie Oliver spent years battling for the horrific abuse taking place in Rochdale, Manchester, to be taken seriously

It wasn't until 2012 that convictions were made against nine of the men involved in the abuse

Top row left to right: Abdul Rauf, Hamid Safi, Mohammed Sajid and Abdul Aziz; Bottom row left to right: Abdul Qayyum, Adil Khan, Mohammed Amin and Kabeer Hassan

Peake met with Rowbotham on several occasions before taking on her role.

In a piece for the Guardian, she wrote about seeing the girls arrive at the clinic having walked miles from remote countryside where they had been taken to be abused.

Sara wrote: 'My calls to police were ignored and social workers told me the girls were making lifestyle choices.

'We'd make them a cup of tea, take them to a sexual health clinic to test for and treat sexually transmitted infections and call the police. But, again, the police didn't want to know.

'How it took the police so long to act to protect children from evil criminals, why social services showed wilful blindness in ignoring what was happening and how so many agencies had collectively failed to act much earlier.'

DC Maggie Oliver had worked on cases before Operation Span, where she had convinced young women to trust her only to be told no charges were going to be brought

As an officer, Maggie Oliver used her real-life experience to gain the trust of the vulnerable girls she tried to help during police investigations in 2004, and again a number of years later, before Operation Span.

But she said her work was wasted when the operations were non-existent after she came back from caring for and then mourning her late husband.

She said: 'I worked on an almost identical operation in 2004, Operation Augusta, which had identified dozens of young victims and dozens of suspects.

'It was a virtual carbon copy of Rochdale, men of largely Pakistani heritage were abusing vulnerable white girls, in Hulme, and around the Curry Mile, in Rusholme. I was on that job for a year and a half. It was a huge investigation.

'We also had social workers telling us they'd been trying to get the police to take this problem seriously for years.

'But not one offender was arrested or charged. I couldn't believe it. It was as if none of it had ever happened.

'Nobody was ever able to explain to me why the case had been dropped. I wanted to know because I've got four kids of my own.'