Last week, the soap aired horrific scenes where Tom ran down Piper with his car and then pretended to Belle that he’d found the dog injured in the road.

This was Tom’s latest attempt to manipulate Belle and essentially force her to sympathise with him as he supposedly tried to save the dog’s life.

In Monday’s (August 19) episode, Belle could only wait helplessly as Tom and Rhona rushed Piper into surgery and tried to save her life.

However, Belle was eventually forced to say a heartbreaking goodbye to her canine companion when Tom announced that Piper’s injuries were too severe to save.

Tom acted uncharacteristically sympathetic as he comforted Belle, though he slipped up when he suggested his estranged wife needed his support after losing Piper.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You killed her,” Belle realised. “You ran her over.”

Belle then realised that Tom must have been hurting Piper when she suddenly got sick months ago, since the dog “miraculously” recovered when Belle returned home from rehab.

As Rhona approached, Belle publicly accused Tom in front of his boss of killing Piper. Rhona came to Tom’s defense, insisting Piper’s death was “just a random accident”.

Before she walked away, Belle warned Tom: “I will never forgive you for this. Never!”

At the cafe, Rhona told Tom she now understood the “pressure” he’d been dealing with at home. Tom tried again to appear sympathetic by asking his boss not to hold Belle’s allegation against her.

Over at Wishing Well Cottage, Belle learned from Lydia that Piper must have escaped due to a broken lock. Tom soon arrived to claim Belle was accusing him because she was off her medication.

“I know it was him,” Belle insisted.

When Tom turned up again at Dale Head, Belle insisted she no longer loved him and ordered him to stay away. Tom then dropped his act, warning Belle that he’d make her pay.

“I’m done with this and I’m done with you,” Belle replied.

Soap bosses worked with two charities, Refuge and The Dogs Trust, on this storyline as a way to reflect how real abusers can use pets as weapons against their partners.