ITV are reportedly holding "emergency meetings" with executives on Coronation Street after the coronavirus outbreak shut down filming.

The world's longest-running soap is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary in December with a number of special episodes and the possibility of guest appearances from former cast members.

Filming on the show was officially halted yesterday due to the pandemic - although ITV have cut the number of episodes being broadcast to ensure that it can remain on air for at least four more months.

According to The Sun, the Corrie cast and crew have been advised to expect the production shutdown to last for 12 weeks but there are fears that it could go on for much longer, placing the 60th anniversary in jeopardy.

The newspaper claims that executives are drawing up "detailed battle plans" to ensure that an episode is broadcast even in the event of an extended shutdown.

"The worst case scenario is that if the cast and crew are away for an extended period then they'll simply run out of episodes and they'd have no more new material to show," a source said.

"That is an eventuality that no one wants but is something that could happen.

"They do not want the anniversary to pass without a special episode. Not having something in place to mark such an important milestone is simply unthinkable."

Corrie first aired on December 9, 1960 and has since become the lynchpin of the ITV schedules, with more than 10,000 episodes broadcast to date.