Former Street star dies

Former Coronation Street actor Peter Adamson, who played romeo Len Fairclough, has died.

Mr Adamson, 72, died earlier this week nearly 20 years after he was sacked from the show following allegations that he indecently assaulted two young girls.

The actor, best known for his on-screen affair with Elsie Tanner while married to wife Rita, died from advanced stomach cancer, the Sunday People reported.

A Coronation Street spokesman said it had been informed of the death by his brother Clifford.

‘‘We’re sorry to hear of Peter’s death and send our condolences to his family.’’

Mr Adamson’s 23-year career on the Street hit trouble when he was charged with indecently assaulting two girls at a public swimming pool.

Despite being cleared by a jury, he was sacked after he sold his story to a national newspaper.

The People reported that Adamson was rushed to Lincoln County Hospital with stomach pains which proved to be advanced cancer.

He died on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the hospital confirmed last night.

‘‘It was like a bolt from the blue,’’ his older brother Clifford told the paper. ‘‘I just wish I could have said goodbye before he died.’’

Adamson was a household name throughout his career at Coronation Street.

Fans were gripped by the storyline in which the builder enjoyed a fiery fling with Elsie Tanner, played by Pat Phoenix.

But his career ended in shame in 1983 when he was axed from the show following the indecent assault trial.

Two eight-year-old girls alleged he had groped them at a public baths but even acquittal could not save his career.

Script writers killed off one of the show’s most popular characters when he suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his car.

His exit from the show led to a collapse in his personal life.

A year after the trial his wife died and by 1991 he was bankrupt.

He spent last few years of his life living in a rented flat in Welton, Lincolnshire, far from the fame and glamour he once enjoyed.