Coronation Street is about to embark on an exceptionally controversial storyline that will see schoolgirl Bethany Platt entangled with a sex ring.

According to The Sun, the plot draws on real life events like the Rochdale sex ring which saw nine men jailed in 2012. The story will begin with Bethany, played by Lucy Fallon, fall for an older man who begins to groom her with the intention of pimping her out to friends. According to reports, when contemplating the storyline, writers decided to go ahead to raise awareness among young female fans. A source said: “This storyline was not undertaken lightly, it was the subject of major discussions among the show’s writers and bosses.” “But in the end they agreed that, while controversial, it was very important.” "We know Bethany’s popular with girl viewers and hope to make them aware of the risks of this situation.” “The really sinister element is that, while viewers will be aware Bethany’s boyfriend is bad news, she’ll have no idea. Hopefully that will resonate.” According to The Guardian, earlier this year, nine men were sentenced to up to 25 years in jail for a catalogue of serious sexual offences against teenage girls in Rochdale. According to reports, the men groomed victims from the age of 13 to 22 from 2005 to 2013. One victim, described as an “extremely vulnerable young woman” had a difficult home life and a learning disability. She reported that when she was aged 14 and 15 she was repeatedly sexually groomed by a large number of men. The woman, now in her 20s, reports that her phone number was passed around and hundreds of men would contact her for sex. During the trial of the nine men, Deputy Chief Inspector Jamie Daniels commented on the societal issue of child sexual abuse. “It is a social problem that we are working closely with our partners to tackle on many levels. Criminal investigations and convictions allow us to remove the offender but there is a huge amount of work behind the scenes. These are victim-led investigations and the long-term wellbeing and care of those victims is of paramount importance,” he said.