Eequipment to help fight cervical cancer has been given to a North Yorkshire hospital.

About 3,000 women are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK. It is the second most common disease in women under 35 years old.

However, the battle to beat it in the county has now been boosted by a £8,000 donation to the colposcopy service by the Friends of Northallerton's Friarage Hospital.

The service treats women at the Friarage Hospital and the Duchess of Kent Hospital, at Catterick Garrison.

If women receive an abnormal smear result, they may be referred for colposcopy - a detailed examination of the cervix.

A colposcopy can confirm smear test results and identify exactly where the abnormal cells are. The results will help to determine what, if any, treatment is offered.

Now the service has received two new Disto II DVD machines for recording still and moving digital images.

They provide a photographic record of pre-cancerous cells, helping with diagnosis and with the training and education of staff.

Consultant gynaecologist Dr Fiona Bryce said: "We would like to thank the Friends for supporting us and for this very welcome boost, which we much appreciate.

"This new equipment will help us continue to provide the best possible service for local women at what can be a difficult time for them."

About 24,000 women are diagnosed with a severely abnormal cervical smear every year, with about 4.4 million smear tests carried out each year in England.

The Department of Health recommends that women between the ages of 25 and 64 have routine cervical smears every three to five years as part of the NHS screening programme.

Statistics show that a woman's risk of dying from cervical cancer is cut by 84 per cent if she has a smear test every five years and 91 per cent if she has a test every three years.