A LIFE-saving defibrillator has been installed on the set of Emmerdale with help from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS).

The fully-operational community Public Access Defibrillator (cPAD) is in a cabinet on the external wall of Cafe Main Street.

YAS worked alongside Wel Medical and the Defib Store to get the equipment installed.

Emmerdale stars Jonathan Wrather (Pierce Harris) Zoe Henry (Rhona Goskirk) and Michelle Hardwick (Vanessa Woodfield) joined members of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Community Resilience Team and Rhona Mackinnon from Wel Medical to see the defibrillator installed.

Emmerdale’s head of production Matt Cleary said: "This kind of defibrillator is an increasingly common sight in villages around the UK. We’re very pleased to have one in our village and hope it helps not only cast and crew, but also our viewers to recognise the importance of access to these life-saving devices."

Paul Stevens, head of community resilience at YAS NHS Trust, said: "Having easy access to a cPAD means that immediate life-saving care can be provided in an emergency situation, such as cardiac arrest, in the vital minutes before the ambulance arrives. The cPAD is highly visible, simple and safe to use, with the machine giving clear spoken instructions.

“It can make a real difference in local communities when residents have access to a defibrillator and we are delighted that the rural Emmerdale set now has its own device.

"Not only could it benefit anyone working on the programme or visiting the film set, it will also raise awareness of cPADs amongst the millions of viewers who tune into the programme every week."