Rowlands Pharmacy has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer among its customers in April.

The aim is to alert people to the fact that persistent symptoms should be investigated by a GP, the multiple said.

Throughout April, posters and leaflets will be displayed in Rowlands Pharmacy branches and staff will provide patients with guidance on the symptoms of bowel cancer.

"Community pharmacies have the ability to identify people buying repeat treatments for common symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea and haemorrhoid preparations. By understanding who gets bowel cancer, and the patterns of presentation over the course of several weeks when symptoms first arise, pharmacy teams are ideally placed to identify individuals who may have red flag symptoms that need to be investigated," a Rowlands spokesperson said.

The Behind Closed Doors campaign is being run in partnership with charity Beating Bowel Cancer and has been endorsed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.