BOLTON’S leaders have hit back after the town’s high street was named among the ‘unhealthiest’ in the country.

In a study published yesterday by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), the town was judged to be the seventh unhealthiest in the UK.

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The research found that residents living in towns with lots of bookies and off-licences die younger than those with plenty of libraries and pharmacies.

Its ranking of 70 high streets found those living in the top 10 healthy areas lived on average two-and-a-half years longer than those with the 10 unhealthiest high streets.

Grimsby led the list, followed by Walsall and Blackpool, while Edinburgh, Canterbury and Taunton came out on top in the healthy stakes.

The report also found that Bolton has the second highest percentage of empty shops — with 26.4 per cent of retail outlets unoccupied.

The Health on the High Street: Running on Empty report used a scale giving points for pubs and bars, dentists, opticians, libraries, leisure centres, museums and galleries, pharmacies, coffee shops and vape shops.

Points were deducted for betting shops, payday lenders, fast food outlets, off licences, tanning salons and empty shops.

However, Bolton Council’s cabinet member for adult social care and health, Cllr Debbie Newall, has said that while the report "raises some interesting points, it does not reflect the reality in Bolton today".

She added: “Like all UK high streets, we are facing significant challenges, but we are focused on improving the town centre and proactively encouraging small businesses.

“Bolton Market sells an excellent range of healthy high-quality products, sadly this was not considered as part of this report.

“The town centre plays host to events like Sport on the Square, Ironman, IronKids and many more, all of which promote good exercise and healthy lifestyle choices. Again, it is regrettable that this was not considered in the report.

“Our high street is already improving, and our £1 billion investment plan will have a major impact on the vibrancy, health and wellbeing of the town centre in the years to come.”

Meanwhile, Bolton North East MP David Crausby said he was ‘disappointed’ at the study’s findings, and blamed the government’s austerity policies for ‘unfairly’ impacting the town.

He added: “It is clearly connected to prosperity and Bolton has felt more damage from austerity.

“It is inevitable if people work in poorly paid jobs that they will end up being unhealthy, and that happens to far too many of my constituents.

“There needs to be a transfer of wealth and resources from south to north. The way we need to do that is by improving the infrastructure in the north.

“The Northern Powerhouse is a good idea but it needs some backing in financial terms. That will improve the lives of people in the north, and particularly in Bolton.”

Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Northampton, Wolverhampton, Huddersfield and Bradford also found themselves in the bottom ten of the list.

The research found that 4,000 new fast food outlets had opened across the UK in the past five years — predominantly in poorer areas.

Deprived areas now have five times more fast food shops than wealthy neighbourhoods, the RSPH said.

It showed that vape shops have doubled to 2,000 in the last three years, while the number of empty shops on the high street has increased from below 7 per cent in 2007 to 11 per cent in 2017.

Shirley Cramer CBE, chief executive of the RSPH, said that Chancellor’s recent Budget did ‘not go far enough’ for high streets as local authorities are unable to reshape them due to ongoing funding cuts.

Kieron Boyle — chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity which works to improve health in London — welcomed the research and said it highlighted the role of environmental factors on health and how factors beyond the health and care system can influence people’s wellbeing.