HUDDERSFIELD MP Barry Sheerman MP has backed a British Heart Foundation campaign to raise awareness of the warning signs of a heart attack.

And he is urging constituents not to delay calling 999 if they experience chest pain.

The MP threw his weight behind the charity's `Doubt Kills' campaign, after attending a heart foundation event at the House of Commons.

His support comes as new figures were released by the British Heart Foundation showing that fewer than one in ten of the general public have the skills to save a life.

A poll conducted for the foundation shows around a quarter of the UK population have received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in the last five years.

But when healthcare professionals and others who have received training as part of their job are discounted, just 9% of the general public have been trained voluntarily.

The survey also found that just 7% of the public in Yorkshire and Humber have been recently trained in CPR

Mr Sheerman said: "We often hear stories about when people should not call 999, but it is crucial that people are also told when they should call 999.

"Chest pain is one such occasion, because it could be a heart attack and nobody is going to be upset with you if it turns out to be a false alarm.

"This is an important campaign as it has the potential to save many lives in Huddersfield.

"People in the area should also be armed with the skills to save a life should they be with someone when the worst happens - which is why I urge my constituents to sign up for a free Heartstart UK course."

Katharine Peel, the heart foundation's head of emergency life support, said: "We're really grateful for Barry Sheerman's support.

"Coronary heart disease is the UK's single biggest killer, with someone suffering a heart attack every two minutes, so this is a problem none of us can afford to ignore.

"About a third of heart attack victims die before reaching hospital because they go into cardiac arrest. Performing CPR can buy vital extra minutes and keep them alive until paramedics or a community responder arrives.

"The more people we can teach emergency life support skills, the more people will be aware of the symptoms of a heart attack. This in turn will hopefully mean people will react quicker if they or a family member suffer chest pain or other heart attack symptoms."

For more information, visit bhf.org.uk/heartstart or email heartstart@bhf.org.uk You can also call 020 7487 7115.