Staff, patients and visitors at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, in Euxton Lane, braved atrocious weather conditions yesterday to watch as the scanner was installed.

The £1m state-of-the-art scanner will initially be used by orthopaedic, ear, nose, throat and general surgery patients, but all outpatients will eventually benefit from the service.

The equipment will become a key feature of the new £2m Assessment and Treatment Centre (ATC), which officially opened in April.

Heavy rain and strong winds delayed the initial lifting of the long-awaited cargo but, once installed, the scanner will be able to provide detailed images of the brain, heart and blood vessels, internal organs and can be used to examine various joints as well as the spine.

Margaret Mallon, general manager for the Diagnostic and Imaging Directorate, said of the scanner: "It will be a feather in Chorley's cap to have such a facility at the hospital and will be a huge benefit."

Patients at Chorley hospital have in the past used mobile MRI scanners to help reduce waiting times, but the new one-stop-shop ATC identified the scanner as an essential on-site facility.

The deputy leader of Chorley Council, Coun Pat Case, a former vice-chairman of the health scrutiny committee, said the new equipment would change lives.

She said: "People will no longer have to travel to Preston as they will have local access to the facilities and that has to be an improvement."

Coun Ralph Snape, a founder member of the former Chorley Hospital Crusade – which campaigned to keep a hospital in the town – welcomed the scanner as a great step forward for Chorley.

"Without a doubt the scanner is something that has been needed at the hospital for a long time and it is a fantastic advantage for the town.

"Chorley is a big area with many districts and anything we get is terrific for patients in the area.

"We should congratulate the people who have worked so hard to achieve this for Chorley hospital."

The scanner service, which will be located near the main entrance and existing Diagnostic Imaging Department, is set to be in full use by the end of October.