MERSEYSIDE’S obsession with the sunbed has long been the butt of jokes, with no parade of shops being complete without one of these outlets.

Yet, according to the story on our front page today, this obsession is no laughing matter: a senior cancer surgeon has warned that it is to blame for the dram- atic increase in the number of cases of skin cancer being recorded in the region.

The number of people being treated for melanoma – the most dangerous form of skin cancer – in Merseyside has rocketed by 66% in the last six years, while in Liverpool the figure has risen 94%. That compares with a national rise of just 46%.

Such is the concern, schools are now turning to shock tactics to try and get the message home about how dangerous sunbeds can be, with some young people beginning to develop wrinkles at 16 years old.

The sunbed-mania is perhaps an inevitable consequence of modern society’s preoccupation with the way people look, fed by the intense concentration on the lifestyles and appearance of WAGs and other celebrities, which some people feel they have to emulate: this includes the "perma-tan".

And yet this obsession can sometimes come at a very high price, and not just in terms of money.

While the problem appears most acute across Merseyside, West Cheshire and West Lancashire have also seen high increases.

Such is the concern that the Government is now looking at the possibility of banning sunbeds as part of its cancer strategy.

In the meantime, responsible use – which might mean not using them at all – and better information on the risks involved would seem to be the best way of reversing these shocking figures.

Perhaps a statutory warning at all such premises on the potential dangers of using sunbeds, similar to those health warnings which appear on cigarette packets, is something which ought to be seriously considered.