Updated: A GUEST actor on Heartbeat was airlifted to hospital with chest injuries after a tractor rolled down an embankment during filming for the police drama.

The actor, understood to be Trevor Byfield, 55, whose condition was not believed to be life-threatening, was one of five people hurt in the incident just outside Grosmont near Whitby.

Four members of the crew were taken to hospital for treatment to minor injuries.

An eyewitness said the blue Ford tractor rolled down the bank and crashed into two trees before hitting crew members.

An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched, with officers from North Yorkshire Police working alongside the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Local resident Jack Ellis, 20, who was watching the filming, said: “The tractor started driving slowly down the hill, but suddenly shot forward faster.

“Everyone ran to try and get out of the way. It crashed into a tree, then smashed into another tree.

“It hit three people who hadn’t got out of the way in time and rolled over.

“It came to land back on its wheels and was in a total mess.

“It was a real shock. Thankfully, it sounds like nobody has been seriously hurt.”

An ITV spokeswoman said: “Following the accident during the filming of Heartbeat, four members of the crew were taken to hospital. They were treated for minor injuries.

A guest actor received chest injuries and was airlifted to the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

“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 HSE investigation.”

A spokeswoman for the Great North Air Ambulance said: “We were called to an incident involving a male, after a 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 hospital.”

A spokeswoman for the HSE said it had been made aware of the incident, and preliminary inquiries as to what happened had started.

Heartbeat, which is set in the 1960s and centres around the police station of the fictional moors village of Aidensfield, first aired on ITV in 1992.

At the time, it starred former EastEnders actor Nick Berry in the lead role as PC Nick Rowan.

The show is loosely based on the Constable series of books by former North Yorkshire Police inspector Peter Walker, under the pen name Nicholas Rhea.