In Worcester, 32,300 people have high blood pressure yet over 50 per cent are unaware they have it as they have never been tested, campaigners warn.

Charity Blood Pressure UK says you should get your blood pressure tested regardless of your age or how you feel.

During 18-24 September 18-24 there will be ‘pressure stations’ around the region, including all Murrays Healthcare branches, to measure blood pressure, and volunteers will provide information and advice on simple steps to keep blood pressure under control.

The campaign will warn that poor diet and excess salt intake is leading young people (in their 30s to 50s) to develop high blood pressure – around 1 in 3 people in the UK now live with high blood pressure. This puts them at risk of having an early stroke.

As a consequence, the proportion of strokes in working age people (those aged 25 to 64) has increased, despite an overall drop in the number of strokes.

In September alone, almost 9,000 people in the UK will die from a heart attack or stroke. A quarter of these will be people under 75, that’s around 70 people every day and most of these could have been prevented .

A further 70 people a day will have a heart attack or stroke and survive, half of whom will have life changing disabilities.

High blood pressure, which is almost entirely preventable, was responsible for about 75,000 deaths in the UK in 2015 , and costs the NHS billions every year.

This comes on top of new analysis from Public Health England’s Heart Age Test shows that one in every ten men aged 50 (11 per cent) has a heart age at least 10 years older than they are and has a heightened risk of a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke at a younger age.

Associate Professor Jamie Waterall, lead for cardiovascular disease prevention, Public Health England, said: “High blood pressure is the third biggest cause of early death and ill health in England. This is why it's so important to know our numbers, in the same way we would know our weight or height".

Professor Graham MacGregor, Chairman of Blood Pressure UK says: “By lowering the population’s blood pressure even a small amount, we could save the NHS over £1billion every year . “As an individual having your blood pressure checked is the most important step that you can take to reduce your risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure.”

To find your nearest check visit bloodpressureuk.org/microsites/kyn/Home/Freebpchecks/Findfreecheck