EastEnder Bex's buddy-turned-bully Louise confronted by angry mother Sonia

EastEnders' Sonia Fowler is on the warpath after discovering that her daughter's tormentor is the teenager's closest friend.

Sonia has been away working in Kettering while Natalie Cassidy, the actress who plays her, was on maternity leave, but returned to Walford when daughter Bex called her in tears asking for help.

Bex (Jasmine Armfield) has been the victim of bullying by a group of girls that includes her former best friend, Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper), and a newly-released picture from a forthcoming episode shows protective mother Sonia confronting Louise.

The first-look photo shows Sonia, who has finally managed to get the identities of the bullies out of Bex, storming up to Louise and stepmother Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean) in the street, pointing angrily at the teenager.

As the row escalates, how will Sharon react to the news that Louise has been abusive to her former close friend?

Fans of the BBC1 soap saw a despairing Bex call her mother, begging for help, following a new development in her storyline which saw the bullies offer her a truffle that turned out to be cat poo and post the video of her eating it online.

Bex has also been having a tough time romantically after discovering that her American boyfriend, Preston, had been cheating on her with her aunt, Michelle.

:: EastEnders viewers will see Sonia confront Louise in Monday's episode at 8pm.