A TELEVISION star and a police officer have been up to their necks in pink blancmange, all for the sake of charity.

Thornaby-based PC Steve Brisley sat in a bath of the dessert in the town's Asda store to raise awareness and funds for the store's "Tickled Pink" breast cancer charity appeal. He endured 30 minutes in the tub wearing full uniform on his day off.

He said: "Sitting in blancmange is not my favourite way of spending a day off, but it is all in a good cause.

"This is not something you can go into training for. My colleagues have said that after 15 minutes, I will be freezing cold, because there is no way to heat up what is basically a bathful of cold pink custard.

"There is no way I will be tasting any of this blancmange because I will be the second person to lay out in the mixture."

James Gaddas, who stars in the television programme Bad Girls, took the first plunge into the cold bathtub.

PC Brisley said: "The charity is one that is close to my heart and I hope that by making a fool of myself, it will lead to shoppers digging deep and supporting a very good cause."

Event organiser Tina Mansell said: "It was a smashing event.

"In the first hour, when we had James and PC Brisley in the tub, we raised £350, which is an excellent way to start.

"The public have been absolutely marvellous. Every time we ask them to donate to charity, they never let us down."