EastEnders actress stopped for dropping cigarette shouted 'do you know who I am?'

EastEnders actress Linda Henry told a community warden "Do you know who I am? I'm Shirley", before hurling racial abuse at her outside a Jamie Oliver restaurant, a court heard today.

The 55-year-old, who plays Danny Dyer's on-screen mother, Shirley Carter, in the BBC soap, is said to have launched into the tirade after being reprimanded for dropping a cigarette butt outside the premises in Greenwich last year.

Thea Viney, prosecuting, told Bexley Magistrates' Court that a black female warden and her black male colleague approached Henry and her partner after seeing them smoking in Nelson Road.

The court heard that, having previously refused to hand over any personal details, Henry now gave the warden limited information, including what the litter officer suspected to be a false postcode.

Henry is then said to have told her alleged victim: "Who do you think you are? Go away, f*** off, n*****."

Giving evidence, the warden, Iyabo Adetokunbo, said she approached Henry after she saw her drop a cigarette on the ground and asked for her details for a fixed penalty notice.

After Henry provided her details, the warden suspected she had given a false address and told her that, if she had, that would be an additional offence.

Henry denies one count of using threatening or abusive words that were likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, and that the alleged offence was said to have been racially aggravated.