Pensioners in rainy Manchester are much more likely to get skin cancer than they were 40 years ago, according to new figures.
Men over 65 are around 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma than in 1974.
Women are five times more likely to develop the life-threatening cancer, with experts blaming the rise in cheap package holidays in the 1960s.
The figures released by Cancer Research UK suggest around 5,700 pensioners are now diagnosed with melanoma each year compared with just 600 in the mid-1970s.
In Greater Manchester, around four people are diagnosed with malignant melanoma every day.
Prof Richard Marais, Cancer Research UK’s skin cancer expert, based in Manchester, said: “It’s worrying to see melanoma rates increasing at such a fast pace. It’s very important for people to take care of their skin in the sun.
“It’s also important for them to seek medical opinions if they see any changes to their moles, or even to normal areas of skin.
“Melanoma is often detected on men’s backs and women’s legs, but it can appear on any part of the body.”
Age is one of the biggest risk factors for melanoma, but the huge increase in pensioners being diagnosed with the disease is likely to be linked to the boom in cheap package holidays in the 1960s.
The fashion for having tanned skin - even at the expense of painful sunburn - is also thought to be to blame.
Experts say getting sunburned just once every two years can triple the risk of developing malignant melanoma and even reddening of the skin is a sign of damage.
Around 13,300 people are diagnosed with malignant melanoma in the UK each year - making it the fifth most common cancer and the second most common in young adults aged 15 to 34.
Around 2,100 people died from the disease each year.
Cancer Research UK and skin lotion Nivea Sun are teaming up to encourage people to enjoy the sun safely this summer.
News of the shocking figures comes after Manchester basked in glorious sunshine over the Bank Holiday weekend, with temperatures hitting a balmy 17C on Sunday.
Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s head of health information, said: “Many cases of malignant melanoma are preventable by taking precautions in the sun.”