Bowel cancer kills 22,000 people in the UK each year

The training unit at the University of Surrey, Guildford, will offer screening and also help to train medics in performing endoscopies.

Guildford Undetected Tumour Screening Against Cancer (Guts) pledged the cash.

A spokesman said there was no national bowel cancer screening programme, but Guts had screened and counselled 1,100 high-risk South East cases since 1983.

'Further benefits'

The organisation has also screened 20,000 people for bowel cancer in Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire in that time.

The university said bowel cancer was responsible for 22,000 deaths - or one-fifth of all deaths from cancer in the UK - each year.

"The government has agreed that screening for bowel cancer will take place in selected areas from 2006," the spokesman said.

"But the agreement between Guts and the University of Surrey in partnership with the Royal Surrey County Hospital to support this unit means local people will benefit further from the work done by Guts since 1983."