Happy Valley viewers seriously distracted by police blunder in Tommy and Catherine’s last ever scene

HAPPY Valley viewers were quick to point out a string of police blunders as the series came to an explosive end last night.

Millions tuned into the finale and witnessed arch villain Tommy Lee Royce being engulfed in a fireball.

The shock climax saw the murderer douse himself in petrol and set himself alight at the end of a clash with show heroine Sgt Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire.

At the beginning of the episode Tommy was picked up by three of Darius’ henchmen to move him to another location - but when they tried to put him in the boot he realised something was wrong.

Spotting petrol in the back of the car, he made an excuse to go back into the house and armed himself with a kitchen knife.

As they drove him away, he violently attacked them - stabbing one, slitting the throat of another and forcing the other to crash the car before beating him to death with a rock in a brutal fight.

However, many viewers were quick to spot a huge blunder over an "unrealistic" plot detail.

One wrote: "Ahh yes, the convenient rock in that empty grass field. Ultimate murder weapon."

Another added: "Funny how always seems to be a handy rock.#HappyValley."

A third said: "How lucky it was for Tommy that there happened to be a convenience rock nearby, followed by an even bigger convenience rock to finish the job!"

While other fans were left baffled that Catherine's house was not being watched by police.

One wrote: "Why are the police not watching her house? (I know it’s only a TV show & sorry for shouting)."

"Maybe the police should watch Catherine’s house? Just a thought" another echoed.

A third added: "Ignoring the fact her house would have been under police guard."

Viewers were also confused that Catherine went into the house alone without any back up after she found Tommy had broken in.

One wrote: "Why would she do that?!"

Someone else added: "Catherine do not go in there alone," while another begged: "Call it in Catherine...call it in."

The final, nail-biting instalment ended with Tommy, played by James Norton, breaking into ­Catherine’s home where they row and he sets himself ablaze.

She then frantically jumped on him and smothered the flames and he could be heard moaning in agony beneath her.

Later, she received a text on her mobile that said: “TLR dead, hospital just rang.”

But because viewers never saw him die, and he was still breathing after the scorching, many speculated it could be a plot twist for a possible fourth series.

The significance of Tommy ­torching himself will not be lost on hardcore viewers.

One of the first scenes on the show saw Catherine tackle a drug addict so heartbroken after his girlfriend dumped him he threatened to set himself on fire.

Before last night’s show aired, viewers were convinced Tommy would try to kill Catherine and other members of her family.

After being double-crossed by the mobsters, he went to Catherine’s home to grass on the murdering kingpin, Darius Knezevic, who had ordered his killing.

When she found Tommy in her kitchen, she assumed he had come to kill her and he admitted to Catherine he’d considered torching her house with a can of petrol.

But he stopped after seeing photos of his one-time girlfriend Becky — Catherine’s late daughter — and childhood pictures of his son, Ryan.

He said he “forgave” Catherine and said sorry for his behaviour.

But she would not accept his apology and, as she pointed her Taser at him, they argued, before he poured petrol on himself and touched a lit match on his chest.

Tommy was enraged when she said Ryan, played by Rhys Connah, was “a prince” and nothing like him — and to prove it the lad had turned his dad over to cops after being asked to go on the run with him to Spain.