The risk smoking causes to people’s health will be in sharp focus during Mouth Cancer Awareness Week.

Mouth cancer kills one person every three hours in the UK because of late detection and, during the awareness week which starts today, people in Bradford will be urged to think carefully about their smoking and use of smokeless tobacco.

Around 90 per cent of mouth cancers in Bradford are caused by smoking and many people are unaware smokeless tobacco, like paan and niswar, also causes mouth cancer, according to health chiefs.

People from Bradford and Airedale’s south Asian community who use smokeless tobacco are being invited to be screened for signs of mouth cancer at sessions run by the NHS stop smoking service and Jim McCaul, a consultant maxillofacial surgeon at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The sessions are to be run at venues in Bradford and Keighley for Bangladeshi, Gujerati and Pakistani communities.

Mr McCaul said: “Mouth cancer is increasing in men and women across the UK so anyone who has a mouth ulcer or a lump which has been there for more than ten days needs to have it checked out with their GP or dentist as soon as possible.

“The biggest single cause of mouth cancer is smoking, so I would urge people to please think carefully about continuing smoking and if you want to give up, seek help. This year we are targeting members of the local south Asian community who are using smokeless tobacco because people need to be aware that these products cause mouth cancer too.”

Two south Asian advisors have been employed for a year to work with the community in Manningham, where there is a high prevalence of smokeless tobacco use.

Anyone who wants help to stop smoking can call (01274) 202793 or text quitb to: 88020.

Read more on this story in today's T&A