Waiting times for patients at Salisbury District Hospital will be reduced as a fundraising appeal has exceeded expectations and two new CT scanners will be bought.

The hospital’s Stars Appeal charity aimed to raise £650,000 for a new CT scanner to supplement the existing one.

But thanks to generous donations, including from an undisclosed charitable trust, the Stars Appeal will now be able to buy another scanner to replace the existing scanner, which is seven years old.

The new scanners will benefit about 12,000 people a year, including cancer patients who will get a faster diagnosis and emergency and stroke patients who will be seen more quickly.

Dr Nick Marsden, chairman of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust and the trustees of the Stars Appeal, said: “We are hugely grateful to these generous local supporters for their continued support of our charity. Their wonderful gift combined with those from the many other local people and organisations, who have so brilliantly supported this campaign, will mean that our patients will soon have access to some of the best CT diagnostics possible.”

The first scanner will arrive at the hospital this summer with the second scanner arriving in early autumn.