Google captures Coronation Street on Street View

Coronation Street is to make history as the first fictional location to appear on Google Street View, it was confirmed today.

The soap's producers invited one of the site's camera cars to drive down the famous cobbles and take pictures of the set yesterday.

Fans will be able to explore the street virtually and take in well-known landmarks such as the Rovers Return, the hairdresser's and Rita's paper shop, The Kabin.

An ITV spokesman said: "Thanks to Street View, fans will be able to have a good nose around the set in a way that would have been unimaginable almost 50 years ago when the show first aired."

The move celebrated the re-launch of the soap's website.

The pictures captured by the car will be processed and edited together to create a 360 degree view of the Street, which may take several months, before they are made available via the Google Maps service.

Watch Google filming on The Street

A Google spokesman added: "This is the first ever TV soap to be photographed for Street View and we're thrilled that soon fans up and down the country will be able to imagine themselves heading down the street to enjoy a pint in The Rovers."

Photos and video footage of the car in action can be found on Coronation Street's website www.itv.com/corrie and on YouTube.

Street View allows users to see a 360 degree view of roads, including close-ups of buildings, cars and people.

Launched in the US in 2007, it came to the UK in April this year and now features 25 British towns.