“THERE’S been an explosion. It’s Coronation Street…Weatherfield, yes. There’s flames everywhere. I think there’s people still in there.”

Deirdre Barlow dials 999 next week…

A tram carriage dusted with snow was still hanging from the viaduct when I visited the Corrie cobbles yesterday.

Ready and waiting for the hour-long live ITV1 episode next Thursday.

I was among a small group of journalists invited to Manchester to be the first “outsiders” to see the two episodes which will be screened on Monday.

Plus a teaser trail of events later in the week leading up to that live episode on the night of Corrie’s 50th anniversary.