The district's MP has thrown her weight behind a campaign to raise awareness of the potentially life-saving benefits of cervical screening tests.

This week (June 11 to 17) is Cervical Screening Awareness Week.

Cervical screening or smear tests prevent up to 75 per cent of cervical cancers from developing and saves an estimated 5,000 lives across the UK every year.

However, one in four women turn down invitations to such screenings.

During Cervical Screening Awareness Week, charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has warned that more needs to be done to make it easier for women to access a screening appointment.

Dame Eleanor Laing MP said: "I am delighted to be supporting Cervical Screening Awareness Week, and the work of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

"It’s extremely concerning that more than one in four women do not attend cervical screening.

"Part of the reason for this is that many women find it hard to get an appointment time that suits them and I support Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust’s calls for action to tackle this."

The charity is calling for a greater range of appointment times at GP practices, increased access through sexual health services and innovation including the introduction of self-sampling.

Cervical screening is largely delivered in GP practices with five million women invited every year in the UK.

New research by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust found one in eight women find it difficult or even impossible to book an appointment and 7.4 per cent of women were told no appointments at their GP practice were available the last time they tried to book.