A TEESSIDE MP is throwing her weight behind a campaign to have more young women receive regular cervical screening tests.

Stockton South MP Dari Taylor will lobby parents outside two schools in Thornaby this week, in a bid to persuade them to have frequent checks to safeguard against cancer.

She has joined North Tees Primary Care Trust (PCT), along with the local NHS planning and funding organisation, in its campaign to get more women in the town to take part in regular screening.

On Friday, Ms Taylor and Thornaby Town Council chairwoman and Mayor Beryl Robinson will hand out information and chat to young mothers as they collect their children from primary schools near her constituency office, in Lanehouse Road.

"We know that women who lead busy lives sometimes forget to attend for their regular smear test, especially young mothers," said Ms Taylor.

"So, on Friday, we will be joining PCT staff at St Patrick's Primary School and Mandale Mill School, in Thornaby, giving out information cards and encouraging women to visit their GP, family planning clinic or practice nurse."

She said she was eager to make sure that women of all ages were aware of the risks and felt it was vital the importance of cervical screening was hit home to young women, so the first signs of abnormalities could be picked up and dealt with swiftly.

Last week, an information stand was available at the Asda supermarket, in Thornaby.

Women there received a credit card-shaped reminder, proclaiming: "Have you had yours yet?"

The card was designed to easily fit into purses and serve as a useful reminder, advising that women aged 25 to 49 should have a smear test every three years, while women aged 50 to 64 should have them every five years.

Pam Cooper, health promotion advisor for North Tees PCT, said: "Unfortunately, the uptake of cervical screening has been falling steadily, both locally and nationally, for several years.

"If this decline is not reversed, we are likely to see cervical cancer on the increase again in the next five to ten years. The peak incidence of this type of cancer is in the age group 35 to 39."