CORONATION Street actor Bill Roache has been arrested on an allegation of rape.
The actor, who has played Ken Barlow in the TV soap for decades, was held at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, this morning.
Roache, 81, faces an allegation of raping an under-age girl in Lancashire between April and July 1967.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "An 81-year-old man from Wilmslow in Cheshire has this morning, Wednesday, May 1 2013, been arrested by Lancashire Constabulary on suspicion of rape.
"The man will be interviewed at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day.
"We take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously and would encourage people with any information about sexual abuse, or anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, to come forward and report their concerns confident in the knowledge they will be investigated appropriately and with sensitivity."
An ITV spokeswoman said the broadcaster was not in a position to comment, but it is understood Roache will not appear in the long-running soap while investigations continue.
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