PEOPLE across the West of Scotland are being urged to complete a bowel cancer screening test as part of a national drive.

More than 80,000 people aged 50 and over are being urged to take part when the test is delivered through their letterbox this year.

The Scottish Bowel Screening Programme invites all men and women in Scotland aged 50-74 to take part in screening every two years.

The programme was set up to enable doctors to detect the early signs of bowel cancer, and therefore improve survival rates.

Statistics show that 58% of women return their kits while 52% of men send back theirs. Bowel cancer is the third biggest cancer in Scotland.