NEW research suggests a boom in cheap package holidays in the 1960s has led to a worrying rise in skin cancer among pensioners.

Cancer Research UK said many older people would not have been aware of how to protect themselves four decades ago.

National figures show that 5,700 over-65s are diagnosed with the condition each year, compared to just 600 in the mid-1970s.

And Billy Hefferon, skin cancer clinical nurse specialist at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The incidence of people being diagnosed with skin cancer continues to rise.

"The number of people in the UK with malignant melanoma is more than four times higher than it was 30 years ago.

"It is now one of the most common types of cancer and we are seeing more and more cases in East Lancashire.

"Everyone enjoys the sun, and some sun exposure is useful to manufacture vitamin D. However, it is important to be careful in the sun and very important that you don’t burn.

"You can burn at home just as easily as you can on holiday and most ultraviolet damage to our skin is caused by chronic exposure. So remember to spend time in the shade, wear a T-shirt and a hat to protect your skin and regularly apply sunscreen that is at least factor 15.

"People who have an increased risk are those with red hair and freckles, people with lots of moles and those who burn easily. You may also have a higher risk if one of your close relatives has had a malignant melanoma.”

Johnathon Major, from the British Association of Dermatologists, said: "The increasing incidence of skin cancer within the UK is alarming.

"As people are living longer, more people are reaching an age where they are at a higher risk.

"Interest in package holidays and in fashion tanning are among the reasons that more people are developing skin cancer.

"But it's crucial to remember that you don't have to go on holiday or use a sun bed to heighten your risk. Skin cancers can develop as a result of both short-term and long-term overexposure to the sun's rays within the UK."