BRIGHTON and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom has officially opened a new scanner system which will help doctors of the future.

Mr Bloom was joined by the club’s executive director Martin Perry and staff from Brighton and Sussex Medical School in Falmer for the event.

The 3T MRI scanner weighs 13 tonnes and has an 11.4 tonne magnet.

It was winched by crane into the school’s imaging sciences centre during the summer.

The opening ceremony took place last week.

Mr Bloom said: “The new scanner will give a real boost to the local community.

“This is in terms of both state-of-the-art research that will lead to new developments in healthcare, and providing valuable services to patients.”

Professor Mara Cercignani, said: “Our new facility will allow researchers at the medical school, along with our colleagues at the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton, to develop our ground-breaking research.”