“A prolonged change in bowel habit lasting more than two or three months should always be investigated,” said Guts UK.
Should anyone in your family have suffered from bowel cancer in the past, any bowel changes that last for a few weeks should be discussed with your GP.
“Achieving a complete cure of bowel cancer usually depends on detecting it early on,” said the charity.
“If people wait too long before reporting symptoms, the opportunity to remove the cancer completely may be lost.”