ALMOST 12,000 women in Somerset aged between 25 and 64 have never been screened for cervical cancer, despite receiving an invitation to do so.

And the number of women in the county getting screened for the most common cancer is dropping, according to NHS England and Public Health England.

Their figures show that of the 134,390 Somerset women who qualify for screening, 11,745 had never made an appointment despite being offered the opportunity. Women in their 20s are least likely to get checked.

They are supporting Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, which started on Monday, to increase awareness of the importance of screening to beat a disease that more than 5,000 women are diagnosed with every year.

Dr Julie Yates, lead consultant for screening and immunisation for NHS England and Public Health England in the South West, said: "We have noticed a fall in attendance of younger women over the past few years and are concerned that this trend may increase due to misunderstanding of the level of protection that the HPV vaccination offers.

"The first girls who were vaccinated against HPV are now eligible for screening as they reach their 25th birthday.

"Although they are protected against the two most common HPV types that cause 70 per cent of cervical cancers, the risk is no completely eliminated and screening is still an important part of preventing cancer.

"It's really important for women to understand the importance of attending cervical screening when they receive the letter from their GP as it can detect pre-cancer abnormalities, which, if left untreated, may develop into cancer.

"Screening is for people without symptoms as a preventative measure."

Screening takes five minutes and is performed by the practice nurse at your GP surgery, with 95 per cent of results normal and the majority of the others able to be treated easily so that they never develop cancer.