It was reported in the Star on Sunday that anti-firearm campaigners were furious with the "sick plot" following the tragic murder of Liverpool schoolboy Rhys Jones.
However, the suggested plotline – branded as "filth" and "absolute madness" – will not, nor was it ever intended to, play out on screen.
Mothers Against Murder and Aggression claimed that the Weatherfield soap would be "almost as bad as the killers themselves" if the rumours proved to be true, while anti-gun campaigner Linda Mitchell suggested that the alleged plot beggared belief.
In today's rebuttal, Steve Frost told DS: "The Star on Sunday's report that Coronation Street is planning to run a story in which 'David Platt tries to massacre his family with a gun' and that scriptwriters have 'studied mass murder cases involving 'family annihilators' is wholly untrue."
He continued: "David will be seen shooting cans with a low-powered air-rifle but there has never been any intention that he uses the gun in a threatening or irresponsible manner. David is a much-loved and important long-term character and there would be no sense in turning him into a murderer and hence foreshortening his life in the show.
"False reporting such as this misleads viewers and damages and defames the programme. The producers and writing team take their responsibilities to the viewers extremely seriously and always handle stories sensitively and suitably for the time slot."
He added: "The story suggested by the Star on Sunday would never have been considered suitable. What is, in fact, an intricate and on-going story of damaged filial relationships has been misrepresented and sensationalised in the Star's report."
