An Ilkley councillor's fight with a deadly disease has led her to encourage other women to have a regular cancer screen.

Anne Hawkesworth discovered she had a problem when she had a scan at the mobile breast screening unit in Booths Supermarket car park on Leeds Road, Ilkley.

Further tests showed she had developed a malignant tumour which needed surgery to remove. Because the cancerous lump was noticed early, Coun Hawkesworth avoided having to undergo a mastectomy.

"Women don't need to be mutilated if it is so small," said Coun Hawkesworth. She also said that surgical consultants were now closely linked to plastic surgeons to make sure any disfigurement was kept to an absolute minimum.

Although Coun Hawkesworth faces further radiotherapy treatment and has to take drugs to make sure there is no reappearance, the tumour is gone and the results of the operation were, in her words: "As good as you can get."

Coun Hawkesworth praised hospital and other medical staff as absolutely fantastic'.

"I came back from surgery at 7pm and I was shopping in Skipton the following afternoon," said Coun Hawkesworth.

She said: "I was very, very lucky they caught it a very early stage and was able to have speedy treatment.

"My message is really, for goodness sake, go for your scan. They can do something as long as they get it early enough. Don't panic because so many, many women have had the treatment and you can get up and carry on with your life."

Taking advantage of private hospital insurance, Coun Hawkesworth, who sits on Ilkley Parish and is head of environment at Bradford City Council, was able to have the operation within six weeks of her original diagnosis.

She said she hoped that her experience would prompt women to have regular screening so any problems could be identified and dealt with before they develop into life-threatening conditions.