A MAN who lost his sister to cervical cancer is calling for a change in the law to allow women to be tested from the age of 18.

Smear tests are currently only available from the age of 25, and Amber Rose Cliff’s family believe she would have stood a better chance of recovering if she had been diagnosed earlier.

The 25-year-old, from Ashbrooke, Sunderland, died at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, on Sunday morning, four years after she finding out she had the condition.

Her brother, Josh Cliff, said he wanted new legislation to allow women to have the option of a test to be known as Amber’s Law.

He said: “She has had it for seven years, but we did not know until four years ago when we paid for a private test because the hospital refused to give her a smear.

“I want any woman under 25 who goes to the doctors with a problem to have the option of a test. It won’t be mandatory but the option will be there.

“I know from campaigns I have supported in the past the Government will not change the law to 18. I am trying to approach it from a different way. If it is just about being an option I have got a fighting chance of that being brought in.”

Amber was godmother to her brother’s two children and worked as a housing officer.

Cervical cancer develops in the entrance to the womb and former Northern Echo editor Harold Evans successfully campaigned to have testing introduced when he was in charge of the newspaper in the 1960s.

Last year, 21-year-old Jade Pateman, from Newton Aycliffe, who has also been fighting for the screening age to be lowered, lost her battle with the disease.

A petition for lowering the age of smear tests, set up by Amber’s friend, Keeley McCormick, has so far got over 40,000 names and Mr Cliff hopes to reach 100,000.

The 27-year-old, who works as an electrician, said: “Amber was begging for a smear so we paid for one.

“We were hoping it would rule it out but obviously it didn’t.

“We think it is disgraceful that we have lost someone because of rules and regulation that don’t make any sense.

“It has been terrible. She is only 25 and I am burying my little sister and my mam is burying her daughter.

“A lot of people were totally oblivious to the fact she had cancer so it has come as a massive shock to a lot of people.

“Everyone is in bits and I am trying to keep everyone together by doing this.

“This is the only way I can deal with it. I refuse to let her die for nothing.”

Amber’s funeral is being held at 9am on Monday and Sunderland Crematorium on Chester Road.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We are very sorry to hear about the loss of Amber, and our sympathies are with her family at this difficult time.

“Cervical screening is not offered to under-25s because cervical cancer in this group is very rare and the best independent evidence shows that routine screening of women under 25 actually does more harm than good.

“We vaccinate girls with the HPV vaccine which protects against 70 per cent of cervical cancers.”

To support the petition click here.