THOUSANDS of women across South Gloucestershire are not going for their smear tests.

More than 15,833 women didn’t have one in South Gloucestershire, putting them at an increased risk of developing cervical cancer.

"We need women to attend their test so that we can identify abnormal cells before they become cancer," said Dr Alison Wint, MacMillan GP and specialised care lead at Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.

"Early detection is the best form of defence against cervical cancer and we would ask anyone with female friends and relatives who have not attended their test, to speak with them and encourage them to book an appointment with their GP."

The number of women dying from cervical cancer has halved over the past 30 years as a result of the NHS screening programme and improvement in treatments, but the number of women having the test has fallen.

Dr Wint added:“We know some women find attending cervical screening tests embarrassing, however, it is a simple procedure and it really does save lives.

"We would encourage all women who receive an invitation to book their test as soon as possible."

Robert Music, Chief Executive at Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “With national attendance at a 21-year low, we simply can’t afford for it to decline any further or we will sadly see diagnoses and even deaths which could have been prevented.”

854 woman in the UK died from cervical cancer in 2016. Approximately 99.8 per cent of cervical cancer cases in the UK are preventable.

Women aged 25 to 49 are offered the test every three years, and then every five years until the age of 64.

You can visit the Jo’s Trust website to find out more about cervical cancer and the smear test: jostrust.org.uk