ACTRESS Lynda Bellingham has spoken out against domestic abuse at a conference in Worcester.

The TV favourite, who is currently starring in Calendar Girls at the Malvern Theatres, talked of her own personal experience at the Forced Marriage and Honour Based Violence seminar at West Mercia police’s headquarters in Hindlip yesterday.

Well-known for her roles in All Creatures Great and Small and long-running Oxo adverts, Mrs Bellingham, who is now a regular on daytime chat show Loose Women, described domestic violence as a “huge problem for all ages, classes and cultures” and one that “simply must be stopped”.

“Nobody should ever feel fear,” she said.

“It’s very hard for anyone outside to see what’s happening and hard for them to understand why these women cannot simply walk away.

“I know from my own experiences that many women feel ashamed and it is the same in every culture.

“I want it to be like drink-driving and if you know someone who is being abused or is in an abusive household you should not feel guilty about reporting it.”

The Forced Marriage and Civil Protection Act, which gives courts more power to protect victims, came into force last month.

West Mercia Constabulary has pledged support for the international Sixteen Days of Action to End Violence Against Women in the run-up to Christmas. It is linked to its Home Truths campaign which aims to raise awareness of domestic violence.

More than 100 people attended the day-long conference held at Hindlip Hall. Speakers included representatives from the police, Crown Prosecution Service, women’s refuges and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit.

West Mercia Detective Sergeant Sharon Avery said that the general perception was that forced marriage and honour-related violence was not a problem in the Worcestershire area.

“We want to raise awareness of these important issues as well as tackling violence against women in the wider society,” she said. “We know some people are anxious about coming forward to report this type of domestic abuse incident and don’t always want to get involved. This is where Crimestoppers can be invaluable.

“It provides the caller with an opportunity to pass on concerns while remaining anonymous if they choose. Just one call could make the difference – it could potentially save a life.”

Domestic abuse facts

Honour-based violence relates to victims who are abused for not conforming to cultural or religious expectations.

Extreme cases could escalate to an ‘honour killing’ where an individual is murdered for what is seen as shaming the family.

While one domestic abuse incident is reported to police in Britain every minute, forced marriage and honour-related abuse is hugely undetected, with only 35 per cent of cases reported.

Honour-based violence in the West Midlands, incorporating Worcestershire, accounts for 14 per cent of reported domestic abuse, second only to London (23 per cent).

One in four women are likely to experience domestic violence at some point.

To report an incident anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The national domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000247.