A NEW study by Public Health Wales’ Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit found that people living in overcrowded housing had a cancer rate seven times higher than those with two or more spare rooms - even after accounting for differences in age.

Analysis revealed how cancer rates varied by ethnicity, housing type, and occupation across the population of Wales.

Residents of social housing had a cancer rate nearly three times higher than people who owned their home outright.

There were also differences in cancer rates between ethnic groups.

People working in lower-paid and manual jobs had the highest rates of cancer incidence. They were also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage than those in professional roles.