FREE blood pressure checks are on offer in some Kirklees pharmacies this week.

People are being encouraged to find out and monitor their blood pressure numbers as part of a new health campaign.

The move comes after research revealed thousands of people in the UK die every year because of blood pressure-related conditions.

Testing points have been set up at pharmacies at Corporation Street and Halifax Road, Dewsbury, Old Bank Road, Mirfield, and Market Place, Birstall.

Neill McDonald, pharmaceutical adviser for North Kirklees Primary Care Trust, said: "Keeping your blood pressure to a healthy level is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your chances of having a stroke or heart attack."