Flintshire County Council (FCC) is to remove sunbeds from all of its leisure centres by the end of the year after a recent study established a "clear link" between sunbeds and skin cancer.

The council was one of the last remaining local Welsh authorities to take the decision, with Wrexham Council and the Vale of Glamorgan Council opting to take similar steps in the wake of research by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). FCC currently operates two sunbeds at the Pavilion in Flint, two at Holywell and one at Deeside Leisure Centre in Queensferry, all of which are set to be phased out over the coming months.

Ian Budd, FCC's director of lifelong learning, said: "Flintshire County Council is committed to promoting health and wellbeing. We recognise the well-documented concerns about sunbed use. "The decision to remove remaining sunbeds from public leisure centres provides an important health message for all."