A CORONATION Street storyline in which much-loved character Alma Halliwell dies from cancer has been slammed by a hospital which cares for Bolton sufferers.

The TV character will die after missing a smear test and then being the victim of a smear mix-up, it has been revealed.

But the Christie Hospital, in Manchester, says the story could scare off women having smear tests in the future.

And it has moved to reassure them that having regular cervical smears is the best way of preventing cervical cancer.

Actress Amanda Barrie, who has played Alma for more than 20 years, has also reportedly criticised the story.

Carole Walker, laboratory manager at the hospital's Cytology Centre, said: "The NHS screening programme saves around 1,300 lives per year.

"It is directly responsible for a 42 per cent drop in the incidence of cervical cancer between 1988 and 1997 when the programme saved more than 8,250 lives.

"A cervical smear test is simple and painless. There are many risk factors involved in cervical cancer but the greatest one is failing to have regular smears.

"The sooner an abnormality is found, the easier it is to treat and the risk of cervical cancer is greatly reduced."

The Manchester Cytology Centre, which is the largest in the country, processes about 110,000 cervical smears a year and says it has always reached national performance targets.

Ms Walker added: "This does not and should not lead to complacency. There is always room for improvement.

"The screening programme is constantly updating and amending standards and looking at ways to improve the effectiveness of the service offered to women aged 20 to 64."

A spokesman for Granada, who make Coronation Street, said: "Alma's demise is not only a result of a smear test blunder.

"She also reveals she neglected to take a smear test some three years previously and we feel that will send a positive message to women about taking regular smear tests."

The Christie Hospital handles patients from across the region including Bolton and Wigan Health Authority as well as Bury and Rochdale HA.

Next month the Cytology Centre will start a trial of new cancer detection technology involving 30,000 women from Greater Manchester.