Daytime soaps in the US will start running out of scripts within two weeks, according to reports from industry insiders.

Eight serials run full time and cannot easily go to repeats as other shows have done during the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.

A small number of writers have crossed picket lines to the shows including staff on All My Children, One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless.

WGA bosses also suspect some striking writers have been secretly passing script ideas. They say otherwise the soaps are relying on other employees to do the writing.