A Portland widower has spoken out about the particular 'nastiness' and difficulties of pancreatic cancer, as new figures show the disease rising at a worrying rate in the south-west.

Instances of the cancer increased by 30 per cent between 2010 and 2015 to 1,043 cases in the region - nearly twice the rate of the country as a whole. Eddi Munn, who lost his wife Elizabeth Ann to pancreatic cancer in 2014, said he was surprised by the statistics.

"The south is supposed to be much healthier," said Mr Munn, 78, of Acton Drive in Portland. "It is a nasty disease, because you don't normally know about it until it's too late."

Elizabeth Ann Munn was diagnosed with the cancer in 2012, but only after an astonishing eleven biopsies failed to identify her ailment. "She had none of the symptoms of pancreatic cancers, like diabetes," her widower explained. "She had a bad back, which is a symptom, but there's no way of knowing for sure that it's caused by cancer.

"It's a tough disease to deal with, because it's so hard to diagnose, which means that by the time you know where you are, there's so little time left. There's not even time for grief, until it's all over."

Pancreatic is the fifth most deadly cancer in the UK, but is expected to overtake breast cancer as number four in the near future, according to Cancer Research UK and Pancreatic Cancer Action, which released the latest statistics.

According to PCA founder and CEO Ali Stunt, the alarming rise of the disease in the South West can be linked to the region's demography.

"Age is a significant risk factor for pancreatic cancer, which is why, with a growing and ageing population, the incidence of pancreatic cancer is on the rise," said Ms Stunt, herself a survivor of the disease. "Areas of high deprivation also tend to have higher incidence."

She added that lifestyle factors such as smoking also had a significant bearing.

Mr Munn, meanwhile, has big plans for the jewellery business he set up to commemorate his wife, and which bears her name. Elizabeth Ann Jewellery is to branch out into earrings and necklaces, having focused previously on bracelets and bangles. "We're also going to start using gemstones as well as Swarovski crystals," said Mr Munn. "It's costing me quite a bit more, but as my daughter said, what else am I going to spend my money on?"

Asked what advice he would give to anyone finding themself in he and his late wife's situation, he urged sufferers of the disease and their loved ones to take the initiative in looking at available treatments, including those at the cutting edge. "Be forceful with your consultants, and see which treatments are available," he said. "It's always best to question."