A CONSULTANT says that lives could be saved if more residents visited their GP after spotting blood in their urine.

Blood in the urine can be the first indicator of serious health problems including kidney or bladder cancer, diseases which claim 7,500 lives in England ever year.

Subramanian Ravichandran, consultant urologist at Spire Cheshire Hospital in Stretton, has urged people to get checked by their GP even if they spot blood in their urine only once.

He said: “You’re not wasting anyone’s time by getting checked out – if it’s not serious then that’s great but if it is bladder or kidney cancer early detection makes it easier to treat, so seeing your doctor immediately could really save your life.

“All figures indicate that people seeing their GP after spotting blood in their pee is on the rise, but we can’t afford to be complacent.

“In England, around 7,500 people die from bladder or kidney cancer each year.

“Simply making people aware of the symptoms and of the need to act on spotting them could help reduce this number.

“Don’t wait until you have spotted blood three or four times just to be sure – the one time is enough, if you spot it get checked.”

Mr Ravichandran has been speaking ahead of the third annual Be Clear on Cancer-backed Blood in Pee awareness campaign, which runs from February 15 to March 31.

There are around 18,500 diagnoses of kidney and bladder cancer in England each year, and the disease is more common in men and people over 50.

Risk factors include smoking, being overweight or obese and other medical conditions like kidney disease or diabetes.