ITV is reportedly planning a return to its annual 'stunt weeks' for flagship soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale later this year.

The two shows are normally given a boosted budget to produce explosive episodes over a week in the autumn, although any ambitious plans for 2020 had to be called off due to coronavirus restrictions.

The UK government is planning to lift almost all remaining social restrictions in England on July 19, however, which would pave the way for the likes of Corrie and Emmerdale to remove their own on-set distancing guidelines.

"The hope is that things will carry on as they are and we'll be able to push the boat out and have something much bigger this year," a source told The Sun.

"The idea is that as well as the story we can have the big set pieces back that have been too challenging to pull off so far.

"It should be a real treat for fans and packed with action and drama."

Last year Corrie boss Iain MacLeod revealed that a planned stunt to mark the soap's landmark 60th anniversary in early December had to be scrapped because of the pandemic.