WARRINGTON Wolves legends Paul Cullen and Mike Nicholas are spearheading a campaign to cut the amount of people attending A&E unnecessarily.

The iconic former Wire pack pair have signed up as ambassadors of Beat the Scrum, a campaign aiming to tackle winter pressures faced by the NHS.

A year-long programme backed by the NHS Mid-Mersey A&E Delivery Board will see Cullen and Nicholas join former St Helens and Widnes Vikings stars Ray French, Phil Veivers and Jim Mills in urging to people to choose the right options for their treatment.

Beat the Scrum hopes to increase the uptake of flu jabs and highlight the alternative treatment to A&E in urgent care centre.

Around 120,000 people in Warrington, Halton, St Helens and Knowsley visited A&E unnecessarily last year – costing the NHS more than £10m.

Cullen, who played for the Wire for 17 years and was the club’s head coach between 2002 and 2008, said: “I was staggered when I learned about the number of unnecessary visits to A&E departments in our region last year.

“To know that A&E departments are facing this type of pressure and that £10m has been wasted as a result locally is shocking.

“I hope that the campaign raises real awareness of the brilliant services provided by local walk-in centres and urgent care services, which can help alleviate this strain.

“We all need to play our part on reducing the burden on the NHS – that’s why I’m proud to have signed up as a Beat the Scrum ambassador.”

For more information go to beatthescrum.com.