A BOLTON MP has won a national road safety award for raising awareness of sleep apnoea.

Julie Hilling, for Bolton West, was awarded the honour by charity Brake and Direct Line Group for her campaign to improve awareness and diagnosis of sleep apnoea, a condition that puts drivers at risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

Sleep apnoea disrupts sleep by causing the airways to repeatedly close, forcing the sufferer to wake up and gasp for breath, causing acute tiredness.

It is thought to affect 1.5 million people in the UK, and is treatable but often not recognised as sufferers often can’t remember what has woken them up.

Ms Hilling discovered that Bolton West has particularly high rates of sleep apnoea and has worked since to raise awareness of the issue in parliament.

On September 2, she secured an adjournment debate on sleep apnoea in parliament which led to health minister Norman Lamb MP taking up the issue with relevant organisations to see how the government can improve its diagnosis and care.

Ms Hilling said: "Brake is a fantastic charity that does great work on road safety and I am honoured and delighted to have been chosen as their Parliamentarian of the Month.

“Sleep apnoea is a major problem for many of my constituents in Bolton West, causing many serious health issues as well as contributing to many road crashes.

“I will continue to work with Brake to ensure we get the services we need to help sleep apnoea suffers."