LBC has been said to reduce inadequate tests from 10% to 2%

Liquid based cytology (LBC) is being used by four NHS trusts in the county, and is estimated to be capable of producing 134,000 samples a year.

It uses a brush rather than a wooden spatula, with the cells then processed in liquid to make a thinner layer.

But some research has suggested LBC is no more reliable than smear tests.

The technique is now being used in cytology labs used by the Dartford and Gravesham, East Kent, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, and Medway NHS trusts.

'Important development'

Malcolm Mackie, a consultant clinical cytologist with the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, said using a brush and then a liquid solution to process cells taken from the cervix meant "a thinner layer of cells which is much easier to examine and reduces the number of inadequate tests".

Mr Mackie said there would be quicker and more accurate results, less need for repeat tests and "a higher detection rate that would obviously result in earlier referrals for treatment".

"This is an important development for Kent," he said.

"But regardless of how we sample the cervix, the best protection from cervical cancer is attending regularly for cervical sample tests."