THEY have come here in their thousands and now Polish workers will walk the cobbled streets of Britain’s most popular TV show.
Coronation Street will be hoping for a ratings surge by tackling the issue of cheap migrant labour.
Scriptwriters on the ITV1 soap admit they are courting controversy as the immigrants find work and are accused of stealing British jobs. But they say immigration is “fair game” because it has become one of the most debated topics.
The spring storyline will see greedy knicker factory boss Liam Connor hire Poles on low wages to cut his wage bill.
Fearing for their jobs, local staff, led by Janice Battersby, tell police that he is hiring illegal workers.
The factory is raided and parts of Weatherfield sealed off as detectives quiz the workforce and use computer technology to verify their identities.
An immigration official tells Connor: “We have reason to believe you are employing foreign nationals who are working illegally in this country. We want to inspect all of your employment records now.”
But the businessman, played by actor Rob James-Collier, 29, is vindicated when Poles are declared legal.
Instead, officers discover that machinist Joanne Jackson is an illegal immigrant and take her to a detention centre to face deportation to her Liberian homeland.
A Street executive said: “Immigration is on many people’s lips. Therefore it’s fair game. We’re expecting the flak to fly a bit when it’s aired. We thought long and hard about taking it on but at the end of the day it’s topical and real.
“There are many inconsistencies and myths surrounding the immigration system and all we are doing is highlighting this aspect.
“Corrie has never been afraid of confronting current issues, and this is probably one of the most controversial we’ve covered to date.”
- Police in Sussex are learning basic Polish to help deal with the huge influx from that nation since Tony Blair threw Britain’s doors open.
Officers are having a lesson a week for 10 weeks and organisers hope to make the scheme nationwide.
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