Coronation Street actor Bill Roache will be charged for two counts of rape after his arrest today.

The actor, who has played Ken Barlow in the TV soap for decades, was held at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, this morning.

Roache, 81, faces allegations of raping an under-age girl in Lancashire between April and July 1967.

Tonight, Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "We have carefully considered all the evidence gathered by Lancashire Police in relation to William Roache following allegations of rape.

"We have been reviewing evidence and providing early investigative advice to Lancashire Police since 1 March 2013.

"Having completed our review, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Roache to be charged with two offences of rape relating to a girl, aged 15, in 1967."

Roache will appear at Preston Magistrates' Court on May 14.

It is understood that Roache - the world's longest-serving soap actor - will not appear in the show while investigations continue.

In March Roache issued an apology after he appeared to suggest sex abuse victims were being punished for past sins.

The actor was interviewed for a New Zealand news programme and said the public should not be judgmental but be "totally forgiving" of people who had committed child sex crimes.

He told the programme: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you."

Asked to clarify whether that meant victims brought the abuse on themselves, he said: "No, not quite, but and yet I am, because everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives or whatever."

He also called for anonymity for those accused of child sex offences because of the stigma they faced even if innocent.

Roache later issued a statement saying he was "sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments".

His comments were condemned by abuse charities.

Roache, who has played Barlow since the first episode of Corrie, holds the record as the world's longest-serving soap actor.

He collected an award from Guinness World Records in 2010 for his achievement, having joined in 1960 for the series which was expected to last for just 13 episodes.

Earlier today, two police officers were stationed outside the closed wrought iron gates at the end of the drive to Roache's £650,000 home, The White Cottage, shielded by bushes from the road in Wilmslow.

A growing press pack of TV cameras, photographers and reporters gathered outside the property.

A near neighbour of Roache's, who did not want to be named, said they were not aware of his arrest this morning until the press arrived outside his house.

The neighbour said: "All I can say is whenever I see him he's an absolutely delightful fellow. It's an absolute witch-hunt. Poor sod."

Shortly before 4pm, officers at Roache's home could be seen placing brown paper evidence bags inside an unmarked police car, which left the address shortly afterwards.

It was followed by two more unmarked police cars, each with three plain clothes officers inside.