FOUR people were hurt after an accident on the set of the television police drama Heartbeat.

Emergency services were called to the Station Tavern, at Grosmont, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, at about 9.20am this morning.

Filming of an episode of the ITV show was taking place at the time of the incident, in which a tractor rolled down an embankment.

No other vehicles are believed to have been involved.

An ITV spokeswoman said the network was not yet in a position to confirm which members of the show's crew had been affected.

It is not known at this stage if any cast members were among those hurt.

A 45-year-old man was airlifted to the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, with chest injuries, while a man in his fifties suffered head injuries.

The ITV spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that there has been an accident on the Heartbeat set.

"The health and safety of our cast and crew are of paramount importance.

"ITV follows strict safety guidelines and a full risk assessment before filming.

"An inquiry is under way, and we will co-operate fully with any Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation.

"We are not in a position to release the names of those involved at this stage."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "We were informed, by the ambulance service, of an incident at the Station Tavern, in Front Street, Grosmont.

"A tractor has rolled down an embankment, and four people were injured.

"This incident is being classes as an industrial accident.

"It looks like the people that were injured were either on or around the tractor when it rolled.

"Their injuries are not believed to be serious."

Another casualty was suffering from chest pains, as well as a fractured wrist.

He was taken, by land ambulance, to a hospital in Scarborough.

A spokeswoman for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service said two emergency ambulances were sent to the scene, along with two rapid response vehicles.

The Great North Air Ambulance was also called, and airlifted the more seriously injured casualty to hospital on Teesside.

A spokeswoman said: "We were called to an incident involving a 45-year-old male, whose tractor had come down an embankment.

"He had crush injuries to his chest.

"There was a doctor on board the air ambulance, who gave him advance pain relief, as he was being flown to the James Cook Hospital."

A spokeswoman for the HSE said: "We have been made aware of this incident, and preliminary inquiries as to what has happened are ongoing."

No one from the Station Tavern was available for comment.