A campaign to raise awareness of bowel cancer has been launched by a World Cup-winning former footballer.

George Cohen, who played for England in the 1966 World Cup final, was joined by �fellow cancer survivors at The Exchange Ilford shopping �centre, High Road, on Monday to have a kick around and talk about his battle with the disease.

Mr Cohen encouraged everyone to look out for a change in bowel habits, which could be a sign of the cancer that killed his England teammate Bobby Moore.

Mr Cohen said: “Having survived bowel cancer I �realise the importance of knowing the signs and not being embarrassed to talk about them with the GP.

“Bowel cancer killed my team mate Bobby Moore at 51 years of age – a tragedy that may have been avoided if there had been greater awareness across society about the disease.”