Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, is supporting a national campaign led by Liverpool City Council – and backed by Newcastle City Council – to give local authorities powers to licence and regulate sun bed operators.

Following the tragic death from skin cancer of Catherine’s Fawdon constituent Gemma Watson at the age of just 27 earlier this month, Catherine has joined Newcastle City Council in writing to the Health Secretary to urge him to act to protect people, and particularly young people, from the dangers of sunbed usage.  Gemma was diagnosed at the age of 21 with melanoma, having started using sun beds before the age of 18.

The campaign now backed by Catherine is calling for local authorities to be given powers to ensure sunbed operators follow a minimum number of health, safety and good practice guidelines in their local area.

Catherine said:

‘Gemma’s death at such a young age, leaving three young children behind her, is unbelievably sad and serves once again to emphasise the real dangers that sun bed usage can bring.

‘We know that using a sunbed for the first time at a young age significantly increases the risk of malignant melanoma, whilst too many young people still see tanning as being glamorous without fully understanding the risks.

‘It’s a positive move that under 18s are now banned from using tanning salons, but this can be very difficult to police with so many coin-operated sunbeds still in use. That’s why I’m calling on the Health Secretary to do more on this issue, including giving Councils powers to regulate what is happening in their local area.’