NHS messages urging gym-goers to look for signs of cancer will feature in changing rooms this summer.

Stickers prompting people to regularly check themselves will be placed on mirrors in 30 leisure centres run by Better, a leisure charitable social enterprise.

The initiative is the latest push by the NHS to detect cancer earlier.

Dr Gareth Wallis, interim regional medical director at NHS England – North West, said: "Finding cancer early is key to successful treatment and survival, but this means that we need people who experience symptoms to come forward as soon as they spot them.

"This is why it’s vital that people are aware of their bodies, take notice of a change that isn’t normal for them and get it checked out immediately."

A Better survey revealed only 58 per cent of North West respondents check their bodies for physical changes regularly, with 15 per cent not checking at all.