STARS from the nation's favourite soap were shooting in the Leigh area this week.

Coronation Street camera crews descended on the picturesque Lowton inn, The Travellers Rest, early on Monday morning, from where The Journal cameraman was turned away.

Granada Television security refused to allow access to the scenes shot at the restaurant in a bid to safeguard the plot.

And owner, Les Kershaw, said he could not reveal anything.

However, it is believed that the filming was of a clandestine trip by Mike Baldwin's fiancee, Linda, and his son, Mark, who are having a hot secret affair.

Both have been making the best of factory owner Mike being away on a buying trip in Germany.

They called at the Lowton pub where Mark went inside to buy a drink and took drinks to Linda in the beer garden.

Mischievous young mechanic Tyrone, his greyhound Monica, his first girlfriend, Maria, and her dog were also with the crew.

The couple have recently met and moved on to cuddling in the B and B, where Monica has been showing jealousy at her master's new union.

This foursome were later filmed near the former Parkside Colliery site and at Pennington Country Park.

A spokesman for the Coronation Street studio said: "We do not allow pictures and we cannot reveal anything. We have to protect our story lines."