Poll: Should Benefits Street be axed?

The Channel Four documentary follows the lives of people in James Turner Street in Winson Green, Birmingham.

But the show has prompted a police investigation, complaints from those who appear in the programme and has attracted hundreds of complaints to watchdog Ofcom.

The second episode will be shown on television screens tonight and Channel 4 bosses say it has attracted their highest viewing figures in a year. But some of the residents in the show claim they have been portrayed negatively by the programme's makers.

They say they feel let down by those who made the show.

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But Channel 4 has said Benefits Street is 'fair and balanced' and they have no plans to withdraw it. This comes despite a petition which has attracted thousands of names.

Former Birmingham residents Arshad Mahmood started the petition which calls for the plug to be pulled on the five-part series.

He said he started the petition after reading social media threats of violence against some of those who appear in the show.

He has claimed the people who appear in it are marginalised and live in complicated situations and are 'being exploited for entertainment'. Meanwhile, West Midlands Police was inundated with calls from people concerned about what they perceived as criminal behaviour in the show.

The force says it is now looking at the footage.

Supt Danny Long, from West Midlands Police, said: "We are currently assessing whether the content of the programme can assist us as part of any ongoing investigations or indeed whether any new inquiries should be launched in light of the material that has been broadcast."

He said the neighbourhood officers in the street had a 'very positive' relationship with residents there.

The force is also investigating threats alleged to have been made online to some of those who appear in the show.

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Last week's programme was seen by 4.3 million viewers and more than 400 complaints have been made to Ofcom, with more than 100 also made to Channel 4.

Ofcom has said it would look into the complaints once the series, which continues tonight, ends next month.

Its regulation says that any material likely to 'encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder must not be included in television or radio services'.

James Turner Street has become something of a tourist attraction since the show first aired last week, with people posing for selfies next to the road sign.