A COUNCIL leader today launched an attack on Coronation Street scriptwriters and complained they were trivialising the work of councillors.

Coun Bill Taylor called for the hit soap to start making comic characters Curly Watts behave like a proper councillor.

Council leader Coun Taylor believes that the plotlines which have involved the new Coun Watts have only served to trivialise council issues and make local authorities look incompetent.

The criticism was rejected by Corrie bosses at Granada TV. They said Curly Watts, played by actor Kevin Kennedy, was a "comedic character" and that viewers would appreciate that his activities did not reflect real life.

The supermarket manager became a councillor after fighting a tough election campaign against arch-rival Audrey Roberts, during which several underhand tactics were used.

Since becoming a councillor, he has been arrested for holding an impromptu blockade of the councillors' car park after a committee voted to close several pre-school nurseries, including one used by several mothers living in Coronation Street.

Then Curly faced an uphill battle to get funding for a jubilee event due to be held near Coronation Street after apparently not understanding the way the council worked.

Coun Taylor said: "Coronation Street and EastEnders are about the only two programmes I get to watch and even then I have to tape them.

"It seems they are trivialising the work of councils and making them look stupid. They should be more responsible.

"What we have seen on TV would never happen here. Councils have worked hard in recent years to modernise and become more efficient.

"The way Coronation Street has portrayed councils and councillors has done us no good at all.

"People see it as a reflection of real life and the worrying thing is people might start to think councils are actually like that.

"Some of the plots have irritated me but I suppose they are trivialising all aspects of life."

A spokesman for Granada today rejected Coun Taylor's criticism.

She said: "Curly is one of our best-loved characters, mainly for the comedic side of his personality.

"Perhaps the councillor complaining feels Curly lacks the gravitas he thinks he should have.

"But we are sure that viewers appreciate the comic side to Curly's character.

"They take that into account when watching the programme."