Emmerdale character Paddy Kirk will be taken to hospital after a dog attack as actress Jaye Griffiths joins the ITV soap.

Griffiths, who has starred in crime shows Death In Paradise and Silent Witness as well as BBC soaps Casualty and Doctors, will play tenant farmer Celia, a neighbour of Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb), in the Yorkshire-set drama.

Celia, known for a bad reputation, will be seen on screen from June, where she calls on Moira to ask if she can rent two of her fields.

Moira will say no to Celia, and later vet Paddy (Dominic Brunt) will be taken to hospital by the new farmer’s guard dogs, and show her “true colours from her reaction to the attack”, the soap teased.

Griffiths said: “I was delighted to get this role – without giving the game away she is very different to anyone I have played before and I can’t wait to really get into the heart of her storyline.”

She has previously played the tough copper Sally Johnson in The Bill, chaotic consultant Elle Gardner on Casualty and briefly on Holby City, and ambitious doctor Elizabeth Croft, who had a storyline involving a work affair.

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said: “We are absolutely delighted to have Jaye Griffiths joining us to play the role of Celia.

“Having recently taken over a nearby farm, not much is known about mysterious Celia’s past before arriving on the outskirts of the village.

“While Celia has a tough edge with an air of respectability, the audience, and our villagers, will soon start to see what this woman is truly capable of.”

Celia is renting from Kim Tate, played by Claire King, and her arrival could spark a rivalry with the established farming families of Barton’s and Sugden’s, the soap also suggested.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 19 deaths in 2023 due to being bitten or struck by a dog, and seven with the same noted cause in 2024.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, dogs can also be seized and euthanised for being “dangerously out of control”.

The act was amended so at the end of December 2023, it became illegal to breed, exchange or advertise an XL bully dog.

A month later, it became a criminal offence to own the breed without an exemption certificate.

Emmerdale continues Friday at 7.30pm on ITV1 and STV and from 7am on ITVX and STV Player.