Sun holidays linked to rise in Irish cases of skin cancer

Sun worshippers are being urged to cool off their love affair with the hot weather as the pursuit of high temperatures sees skin cancer rates soar.

Numbers with the disease in Ireland have almost doubled since records began in 1994, and new cases topped 10,000 for the first time in 2011.

The biggest increase was in young people from affluent, urban areas who were exposed to repeated sunburn, most likely from sun holidays and leisure activities.