Ed Sheeran returns to Twitter after deleting account amid Game of Thrones criticism

The singer previously limited his activity on Twitter, saying that he could not cope with the online hate directed at him

Ed Sheeran's disappearance from Twitter was short lived as the singer's account reappeared hours after it was deleted following criticism of his recent Game Of Thrones cameo.

All of his tweets since April 2015 on the @edsheeran account have been removed and the singer's more than 19 million followers have been reduced to less than 2,000.

​Sheeran had previously limited his activity on Twitter, saying that he could not cope with the online hate directed at him.

His role in Game Of Thrones involved just two lines - "It's a new one", in reference to a song that Maisie Williams's character Arya Stark heard him singing, and "Worst place in the world", about King's Landing.

But fans of the show had complained about having a celebrity included in a scene.

Much of the criticism was around the fact that there seemed to have been little attempt to disguise his cameo - whilst other artists such as Coldplay drummer Will Champion and Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol were more difficult to spot in their scenes.

Sheeran's scene also left an opportunity for him to return in the next episode, although he did not appear in the trailer.

Co-showrunner David Benioff previously explained: "We knew that Maisie [Williams] was a big fan of Ed Sheeran, and for years we've been trying to get him on the show so we can surprise Maisie. This year we finally did it."

It was recently revealed that Sheeran will next make a cameo in The Simpsons, as a character caught up in a love triangle with Lisa Simpson.

Game of Thrones season 7 continues on HBO, Sky Atlantic and NOWTV next Sunday.