Street stars face pay cut

A pay cut would be another blow to William Roache (Ken Barlow)

Some of the stars of ITV soap Coronation Street could see their salaries fall by thousands of pounds following changes to their contracts, it has been reported.

Granada TV bosses have confirmed that the amount paid to certain actors has been brought into line with their fellow cast members and the rest of the industry.

The Sun newspaper reported that some leading cast members could get pay cuts of up to £50,000 per year.

It claims the salary reductions have resulted from a new rule which prevents cast members from appearing in more than 80 episodes each year.

Some members of the Coronation Street cast have received their contract offers for next year

Granada TV spokeswoman

According to The Sun, Barbara Knox, who plays Rita, will lose £50,000 while Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, will lose £40,000.

A spokeswoman for Granada admitted that changes to contracts have been made, but refused to discuss specific details.

She said: "Some members of the Coronation Street cast have received their contract offers for next year, the exact details of which are confidential.

"They have been awarded a pay rise of 6.5%, more than double the rate of inflation.

"Programme enhancement measures have been implemented to allow us to spend more money on production of the show.

"This has led to some adjustments in contracts to bring those affected in line with other cast members and the rest of the industry."