Cancer director: People must be aware of risks

All people must be aware of the risks that using a sunbed poses, the government's national cancer director has said.

Professor Mike Richards' comments follow a campaign by Cancer Research UK to alert young people to the dangers of tanning booths.

Research has found that people who use sunbeds before the age of 35 have a 75 per cent increased risk of the skin cancer malignant melanoma.

"The cancer reform strategy explained that the number of people getting skin cancer is rising rapidly," Professor Richards said.

"It is a matter of particular concern that even children may be getting access to sunbeds and it is also important that they should have information about the dangers of excessive exposure to UV."