Charlie Clarke was an employee of butcher and property developer Willie Piggott and was well aware of some of his master's more nefarious undertakings. In July 1970 Alan Howard married Elsie Tanner and with promises of a new house in Bramhall and a honeymoon in Paris all seemed well with the newly-weds but Ray Langton was troubled by the fact that Alan owed Fairclough and Langton £350. Charlie glimpsed the regulars waving Alan and Elsie off on their honeymoon and approached Ray in the Rovers where he asked him it confirm if it was Alan he had seen and then told a very interested Ray that Alan owed Piggott £200 as well. Within weeks, the pressure from Alan's creditors became so great that he was forced to declare himself insolvent.