Happy Valley has another award to add to its trophy cabinet following last night’s TV Choice Awards.

Its star Sarah Lancashire, who plays no-nonsense sergeant Catherine Cawood, won the Best Actress accolade at the 2016 awards, held at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

The 51-year-old beat Downton Abbey’s Laura Carmichael, Doctor Foster star Suranne Jones and Peaky Blinders actress Helen McCrory to scoop the prize.

Lancashire was also named Best Actress at the 2015 TV Choice Awards, after the first series of Happy Valley aired.

Sarah Lancashire
Sarah Lancashire

She has also scooped Royal Television Society Awards for her role in the Sally Wainwright-penned drama.

Series two of Happy Valley, which aired in February, attracting an average of 9.37 million viewers per episode.

Sally Wainwright, who also worked with Sarah Lancashire on BBC One series Last Tango in Halifax, has confirmed that Happy Valley will return for a third series.

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The Huddersfield-born writer revealed plans in an interview at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

She said: “It will happen but it will be a little while. I have got some good ideas.”

Happy Valley follows Sgt Catherine Cawood and sadistic criminal Tommy Lee Royce, with filming locations across Halifax and Huddersfield.

Lancashire’s performance was called ‘astonishing’ by critics and won the Oldham-born TV star a BAFTA nomination.