May Leach

Mary Anne "May" Leach was the wife of Rovers potman Sam Leach and auntie of Jerry Booth, son of Sam's sister Nellie. Though the Booths had remained in Weatherfield, Sam lived with his wife in Newcastle. In 1962, Jerry told Len Fairclough that May treated Sam like a dog and would show him up when they had people over. A neighbour from Blythe, Ted Young, gave a similar account of the marriage to the Rovers regulars, referring to May as a "proper brazen bitch" who was always screeching at her husband.

In early 1962, Sam left May and returned to Lancashire to find work. He soon landed a job as Rovers waiter and potman, but gave it up when the police started making enquiries about him. Upon handing himself in, Sam discovered that he'd failed to notify the police about his change of address and owed May maintenance. He then returned to Newcastle.