Sarah Lancashire and Siobhan Finneran to return to BBC's Happy Valley

Sarah Lancashire, 58, won the Best Actress accolade at the BAFTAs in 2017 for her performance as Sergeant Catherine Cawood in the hit drama.

The former Oldham Hulme Grammar School student and fellow Oldhamer Siobhan Finneran, 56, are returning to the role in the "much-anticipated final instalment" of the BBC hit.

Most recently airing on BBC One in 2016, series two attracting an average audience of 9.3m.

As well as Lancashire's award, the first two series each won the BAFTA Television awards for both Drama Series and Writing: Drama for creator Sally Wainwright.

BBC has released teaser images from the six-part third series including one of Catherine with a bloodied nose in the aftermath of a police raid.

Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood (Image: BBC)

Meanwhile Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton, is back with a "radically different look" and a picture shows him in his prison cell.

Catherine's sister Clare, depicted by Finneran, is captured on camera in the pictures too.

And a photograph of Catherine's teenager grandson Ryan, played by Rhys Connah, has also been released.

James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce (Image: BBC)

Siobhan Finneran as Clare Cartwright (Image: BBC)

Rhys Connah as Ryan Cawood (Image: BBC)

The backdrop of the latest series has been revealed by BBC.

It states: "When Catherine discovers the remains of a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir, it sparks a chain of events that unwittingly leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce.

Her grandson Ryan is now 16 and still living with Catherine, but he has ideas of his own about what kind of relationship he wants to have with the man Catherine refuses to acknowledge as his father.

"Still battling the seemingly never-ending problem of drugs in the valley and those who supply them, Catherine is on the cusp of retirement."

Happy Valley favourites Ishia Bennison as Joyce, Shane Zaza as Shaf, Chord Melodic as Sledge, and Mete Dursun as Gorkem will feature.

They join the previously announced new and returning cast members Con O’Neill, George Costigan, Charlie Murphy, Derek Riddell, Karl Davies, Susan Lynch, Rick Warden, Vincent Franklin, Amit Shah, Mark Stanley, and Mollie Winnard.

Happy Valley newcomers Oliver Huntingdon (The Rising), Jack Bandeira (Sex Education), Alec Secareanu (God’s Own Country), and Anthony Flanagan (Gentleman Jack) will also appear in series three.

Happy Valley series three will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer with a release date not yet confirmed.

The show is written and created by Sally Wainwright.

BBC said further information about series three will be announced in "due course".