THE number of Britons dying from coronary heart disease has shown a record drop thanks to advances in medical treatment, the British Heart Foundation will announce today.

But the charity warns that the Government must act to prevent a future "epidemic" of sufferers as growing levels of laziness and obesity create a "couch potato society".

And early results from research carried out among North-East schools suggest that activity levels in the playground are falling.

Deaths from heart disease fell by a "staggering'' 13,000 in two years, the BHF said, but it remains the UK's single biggest killer, claiming nearly 125,000 lives a year.

About 2.6 million people are living with a damaged heart - and this total is set to rise in future.

Yesterday, Dr Jim Hall, of the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, said the drop in deaths was "very encouraging" but warned there was still much to do.

Two years ago, The Northern Echo drew attention to the yawning gap between the treatment of heart patients in Europe and the UK by launching its A Chance To Live campaign.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn responded by announcing a national blueprint to improve care and expand existing heart units.

Professor Sir Charles George, medical director at the BHF, said: "Medical research can do so much to save lives, but in the long run people must take responsibility for their actions."

Figures released by the charity showed one in three people takes less than 30 minutes physical activity a week, despite the fact that a third of coronary heart disease cases stem from inactivity.

Younger generations are increasingly at risk, as a quarter of children watch four hours of television a day, and only a third of schools offer two hours a week of activity.

Dr Peter Warburton, director of sport at Durham University, said: "We have just done some more research in North-East junior schools and the early results suggest that activity levels are still dropping," he said.

Dr Warburton said the Government needed to give sport a higher priority in schools.

Obesity expert Professor Lee Kennedy of Sunderland Royal Hospital said "moderate exercise and sensible dieting from an early age" was the key for keeping trim.