CORONATION Street's Vera Duckworth will be mugged as the soap tackles the real life subject of rising street crime.
Vera, 67, is out shopping with Frankie Baldwin (Debra Stevenson) when yobs try to snatch the younger woman's bag.
Feisty Vera, played by Liz Dawn, tries to help her new friend but is knocked over. She taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg.
X-rays reveal a bad sprain but Vera's emotional wounds are more severe.
Corrie bosses are so worried viewers could be traumatised by Vera's experience they may set up a helpline at the end of the show for crime victims.
An insider said: "A lot of viewers, especially the older ones, have grown up with Vera. No doubt they will be feeling upset." The episode, which goes out in November, shows Vera later struggling to walk with a heavily bandaged leg.
The source said: "The police take a full statement from her and promise to keep her informed if they manage to catch the criminals who attacked her.
"This helps Vera but it will be a long time before she recovers from the mental scars.
"As with real life victims, she will show signs of post traumatic stress and feel threatened when she is in a busy place or when strangers approach her."
The Street storyline comes after a survey of those in Vera's age group showed they feared being mugged more than anything else. And 40 per cent of people of all ages quizzed were worried about being robbed in the street.
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Corrie Yob Mugs Vera
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