CORRIE icon Bill Roache avoided being declared bankrupt today after his long-running battle with the taxman was dismissed.
The ITV soap star, 92, who has played Ken Barlow for more than 60 years, owed more than half a million pounds to HMRC.
Bill Roache owed more than half a million pounds to HMRCCredit: SplashA previous tribunal ordered him to settle a £588,015.18 tax bill after ruling he participated in “a tax-avoidance agreement”.
High Court papers obtained by The Sun showed he had paid back £41,666.65 by February.
The following month, Roache was ordered to pay off the remaining debt within 12 weeks or face being declared bankrupt.
Helen Flanagan battles to save NYE plans after 'poo explosion' in her carThe dad-of-five, who owns a £900k mortgage-free home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, was given more time to “allow for the sale of property”.
But HMRC today submitted an application to dismiss the adjourned bankruptcy petition brought against him.
Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs accepted the application but ordered the actor to pay £1,129.20 in costs.
He told the Rolls Building in London during a minute-long hearing: “I will dismiss with the costs summary at £1,129.20.”
No explanation was given during the 2pm hearing as to why the insolvency case against Corrie fave Bill Roache was dismissed.
The £250k-a-year telly star was saved from being declared penniless for a second time following his bankruptcy in 1999.
Roache, who holds the world record for the longest serving TV actor in a continuous role, first appeared on the classic cobbles in 1960.
He did not attend today's hearing after being pictured nipping into a bakery for some sweet treats in Cheshire on Sunday.
Roache was awarded an OBE for services to drama and charity in the Queen’s New Years Honours list in 2021.
The ITV soap star, 92, has played Ken Barlow for more than 60 yearsCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk