Rochdale suffers one of country's worst heart disease rates

Rochdale has the sixth-worst rate of early deaths from heart disease and stroke in England.

Some 264 Rochdale people per 100,000 die prematurely from heart disease or stroke each year, according to latest figures.

The findings were released by the department of health and the association of public health observatories as part of a survey into the nation’s health.

It provides a profile for every local authority based on a number of key indicators.

In all, out of 29 indicators of the population’s health for which local figures were available, Oldham fared significantly worse than the national average on 23 counts.

It was significantly better than the national average in only one indicator — the number of road deaths and accidents.

Rochdale is also lagging behind in terms of life expectancy. Men in the area are expected to live to 74.9 years-old, only a little longer than men in Manchester, who recorded the lowest male life expectancy at 73 years. Oldham women can expect to live to 79.2, one year longer than the country’s lowest of 78.3 in Liverpool.

More from Rochdale die early as a result of cancer than both the average for the North West region and the and national average, while the number of Rochdale people dying as a result of smoking also soared above the North West and England averages.

Men in the most deprived areas of the town, which include Central Rochdale, Smallbridge and Firgrove, Milkstone and Deeplish and West Middleton, are expected to live almost six years less than men in the least deprived areas, which include parts Norden, Bamford, Wardle and West Littleborough and parts of Littleborough Lakeside. For women, the difference is five years.