Emmerdale stars are going for gold at a charity run in aid of a new heart scanner for Bradford Royal Infirmary.

A team of actors from the programme will be taking part in the Yorkshire Heartbeat Run at South Leeds Stadium.

The run next Wednesday is the eighth organised by the charity and will raise money for the Heartbeat Appeal.

The appeal has already collected £100,000 for a new ultrasound heart scanner for BRI, with another £50,000 needed.

This year's Emmerdale team will be headed by Chris Chittel, who plays Eric Pollard in the soap.

The team is hoping to repeat the success of last year, when they gained first place in the four-mile run.

Alec Bloom, chairman of the appeal, said: "We are thrilled to once again have the support of the Emmerdale team in promoting this important cause.

"The new scanner will add an extra dimension to the hospital's services, enabling doctors for the first time to assess critically-ill patients in the intensive care unit and the coronary care unit without compromising the examination of outpatients."

Mr Bloom, himself a former heart patient, said the number of outpatients who could be treated would be doubled by the new scanner.

"It will also ensure a swift and accurate diagnosis of acutely ill patients in the accident and emergency unit, which is one of the busiest in the UK."

The scanner produces TV images of the heart using sound waves and allows doctors to examine patients' valves, heart muscles and the size of chambers.

The equipment is used to diagnose disorders including heart disease and heart murmurs and can help investigate people with a history of genetic cardiac problems.

More than 250 people took part in last year's Heartbeat Run, raising a total of £7,000, and organisers are hoping for more this year.

The person who raises the most will win a weekend in London for two, and other prizes will be awarded to participants.

Anyone who wants to enter can register at the stadium, in Middleton Grove, before 6pm on Wednesday.