ITV has announced that Emmerdale will not be forced to take a break from the schedules due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The soap stopped filming new episodes at the end of March as the UK entered lockdown - and despite reducing from six episodes a week to just three, it was due to come off air next Friday (June 5) when new episodes run out.

A relaxation of the government guidelines allowed the show to re-enter full production last week with six new episodes, each of which will feature just two or three characters coming to terms with the coronavirus lockdown.

ITV has now announced that those episodes will air on Mondays and Wednesdays over a three-week period beginning on Monday, June 8.

After they have aired, Emmerdale will go back to three episodes a week from Monday, June 29 as production ramps back up.

ITV's other major soap Coronation Street will also avoid going off air, with existing episodes lasting until early July and filming of new episodes about to get underway.