Study Finds UK Locals Fail To Use Sunscreen, Rely on Clouds for Protection

Britons are failing to armor up before going outside to fight that old nemesis, the sun. A study by the North West Cancer Research Fund revealed that while 96 percent of UK citizens wear sunscreen when abroad, only 65 percent of them lather it on when vacationing at home.

The study comes as part of the research fund's Clouds Don't Cover campaign, which seems to have gotten its name from a lyric by Irish pop crooners Westlife and aims to educate about the harmful effects of Ultra Violet rays. Looks like the campaign was much needed: Two-thirds of the British population thinks cloud coverage is enough to protect skin from sizzling.

"It is clear there is widespread ignorance about the dangers of UV rays, especially in the UK," CEO of the North West Cancer Research Fund Anne Jackson told The Daily Mail.

With hundreds of new skin cancer cases diagnosed each year in the UK, Jackson wants to make it clear that taking a few minutes to apply sunscreen can be a life saver.

July is on track to be rather temperate in the UK, so convincing vacationers to don the old SPF could be difficult.