SHOPPERS out buying groceries have been getting a health check on the state of their hearts.

A team of coronary heart disease nurses from Derwentside Primary Care Trust was in Asda's Stanley store earlier this week, offering blood pressure checks to customers.

The project aims to raise awareness of the importance of having regular blood pressure checks in helping to prevent strokes and heart disease.

It was the first in a series of store visits by the team, which took in Tesco, at Consett, yesterday and which moves on to Safeway, in Consett, tomorrow.