Iain Lee leaves Absolute Radio

Absolute Radio presenter Iain Lee has left the network after three years, triggering an outcry from some listeners.

in a statement posted on its Facebook page, Absolute Radio said that it had "regrettably, mutually, decided not to continue with Iain Lee's Late Show into 2012 which signals the end of the current series".

The station said that Lee, who was one of the original DJs on Absolute Radio when it launched three years ago, had left "to pursue other radio, live and TV projects".

However, a campaign has already started on the social network calling for him to return to the station. One user posted that "Monday to Thursday nights 11 till 1 are just not going to be the same" following his departure.

Lee's split from Absolute Radio comes in the midst of a court case in which a listener is accused of harassing the presenter, his wife and Late Show producer Eloise Carr. The trial is due to resume at Westminster Magistrates' Court next month.

Lee, the former presenter of the 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4, joined Absolute in 2008 when it was Virgin Radio and stayed on after the rebrand under new ownership.

He declined to comment on his departure or the harassment court case, but Carr posted on Twitter: "Gutted not to be working with Iain Lee anymore, and to you listeners; you have all made this show what it was and I loved it."

In a statement issued to The Guardian, Absolute Radio chief operating officer Clive Dickens said: "Iain Lee has been broadcasting on Absolute Radio since 2008. He is an incredibly talented and unique broadcaster who has made an enormous contribution to the brand and station over the past three years. We wish him well for the future."

Yesterday, Absolute Radio confirmed the launch of new stations dedicated to the music of the 1960s and 1970s, following the introduction of networks for the '80s and '90s.