Sunbed campaign targets Wearside

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A hard-hitting campaign warning teenage girls about the dangers of using sunbeds is beginning on Wearside.

Hundreds of posters will be on display in Sunderland which give a stark illustration of the link between sunbed use and skin cancer.

They show a fictional sunbed user's calendar with hospital appointments for cancer surgery and surgical scar photo.

Cancer Research UK chose Sunderland because of the high level of sunbed use among young people.

A recent survey by the charity showed that 50% of girls aged 15 to 17 in the city use sunbeds.

Sunderland is also known as a "hot spot" for sunbed salons, ranking fourth in the country for the number of outlets per number of residents.

'Striking image'

Caroline Cerny, Cancer Research UK's SunSmart Campaign Manager, said: "The awareness campaign highlights a very real danger for some young people in Sunderland.

"They might think they are just getting a tan, but experts agree that sunbeds can cause melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.

"This is now the most common cancer in young adults aged between 15 and 34.

"We hope the striking image used in the awareness campaign will make young people stop and think twice before using sunbeds in the future."

About 660 girls and women aged between 15 and 34 in the UK are diagnosed with melanoma each year, the charity says.

The Sunbed Association, which represents more than one in five salons in the country, has said operators should not be blamed if customers choose to ignore safety warnings.