DIABETICS will be given advice on how to reduce the risks of complications arising from the condition during an open evening at Kidderminster Hospital.

As part of National Diabetes Week, the diabetes team will be in the hospital's treatment centre on Tuesday between 6pm and 8.30pm.

There are an estimated three million people with diabetes in the UK - half of them undiagnosed - and the figure is set to double by 2010. Increasing weight of both adults and children is a major factor.

Heart, eye or liver disease and foot amputation are high risk problems for diabetics and early detection of diabetes and effective treatment can reduce the risk of complications.

This year, the emphasis will be on the need for people with diabetes to gain control of their condition in an effort to avoid complications.

For people with type two diabetes, losing weight and becoming more active can help lower blood pressure and reduce the amount of fat in the blood.

On the evening at the treatment centre, there will be trade stands with the latest diabetes equipment, literature and on-the-spot health checks.