DARLINGTON’s campaign to keep its famous Locomotion No. 1 in the town hit the nation’s televisions last night as it made a “very cool” cameo on Coronation Street.

Eagle-eyed fans of the soap spotted the Keep the Loco poster the background of a scene in Roy Roll's café.

The cafe was the latest business to display the eye-caching campaign poster.

The character Roy Cropper, who runs the café, is a huge railway enthusiast so the poster was a fitting addition to the railway memorabilia that currently decorates the walls.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council confirmed it had known the campaign might make a appearance on the show, though the details had been kept strictly under wraps.

Darlington businesses are being urged to emulate the support by displaying a poster in their own premises and sharing images on social media using the hashtag #KeepTheLocoInDarlo.

Businesses can pick up a poster from several Darlington town centre outlets including Waterstones Bookshop, The Art Shop, Caffe Nero, Guru Boutique and Esquires Café in the Cornmill Centre.

Councillor Heather Scott, Leader of Darlington Borough Council, said: “What a wonderful coup for the Keep the Loco in Darlo campaign to be featured on Coronation Street.

"For anyone who may have missed it, the campaign poster featured in the background of a scene in Roy Cropper’s café. It makes perfect sense that Roy would know all about our campaign, given the character is such a railway buff.

“For so many millions of people to have seen the poster, featuring Jonny Lancaster’s wonderful artwork, is a real boost for our efforts to keep hold of this piece of Darlington’s railway heritage for future generations.

“And don’t forget to sign the petition at www.darlington.gov.uk/keep-the-loco-in-darlo”

The campaign was launched earlier this year after plans emerged to move the historic engine from Darlington’s Head of Steam Museum to nearby Locomotion, in Shildon.

The campaign has had other celebrity support, including by rail enthusiast and Monty Python star Michael Palin, who backed Keep the Loco in Darlo in November.

Locomotion no 1, which was built by pioneering railway engineers George and Robert Stephenson, is a key part of Darlington Borough Council's plans to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Darlington and Stockton Railway in 2025.

A campaign to keep it in Darlington was launched in January following news of the plans by the National Rail Museum, which is part of the Science Museum, to move it to Shildon.

In September, Darlington Borough Council pledged to "redouble efforts" on the campaign to keep the historic engine in the town after it emerged fewer than 3,000 people had signed a petition to keep Locomotion no 1 at the Head of Steam museum, which has housed it since 1975.

More than 5,000 people have signed the latest petition, which can be viewed here