A BEAUTY salon is offering a discounted bikini wax in a bid to encourage women to go for a smear test.

Inspire in High Street, Droitwich has said it will knock 20 per cent off the treatment for up to a week before a woman takes the test.

Owner Rachel Harrison said: “A smear test is not a nice thing to have to do but we have to do it.

“A few customers have mentioned to me that women were being put off from having a smear test because they hadn’t had time to go for a bikini wax.

“Obviously we want to encourage women to go so that’s why we came up with this offer.

“I’m not trying to say that women should have to have a bikini wax before they go for a smear test, we just want to encourage them.

“We build relationships with our clients and I can’t think of anything worse than one of them coming in and saying they have cervical cancer when they could have gone and had a smear test."

In 2016, 75 per cent of eligible women in Worcestershire had a smear test, down from 77.4 per cent in 2011.

Of the 2,000 women surveyed in Britain by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust recently, a third said they wouldn’t go if they hadn’t shaved or waxed.

The salon’s post on Facebook was seen by 63,000 people and was shared by more than 300 people. Salons across the country have contacted Inspire to ask if they can copy the idea.

Dr Helen Carter, deputy director at Public Health England West Midlands, said: “Cervical screening remains an important preventative measure against cervical cancer.

"It is estimated that in England cervical screening currently prevents 70 per cent of cervical cancer deaths. However, if everyone attended screening regularly, 83 per cent could be prevented.

"We’re supporting local services to encourage more women to attend screening through clearer information and we’ve also asked the independent Screening Committee to consider the merits of at home self-testing for women who are not taking the test.”