WOMEN are being urged to not let embarrassment get in the way of testing for cervical cancer.

Every day nine women are diagnosed with the disease, which is the most common cancer in women under 35.

It is largely preventable thanks to cervical screening and the HPV vaccination programme, but statistics show that the number of women aged 25-29 years of age being screened for cervical cancer is the lowest in any age group and numbers attending for screening are falling.

Surveys undertaken by cancer charities indicate embarrassment and a lack of understanding of the causes of cervical cancer may be behind the fall in numbers attending.

The number of women dying from cervical cancer has halved over the past 28 years as a result of the screening programme and improvement in treatment. Around 5,000 women are screened each year.

Head of Public Health for NHS England (Lancashire and South Cumbria) Jane Cass said: “There has been a fall in attendance of women across all age groups over the past few years but this decline is most marked amongst younger women. Making time to take up your screening appointment is the single most important active step you can take to avoid developing cancer. ”