THE North-East is cultivating “hidden hotbeds of heart disease”, according to research.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says that reports of declining death rates at a national and regional level are “hiding the grim reality for those living in significant pockets of deprivation”.

As an example of the disparity that can be found in the region, the charity cites people living in the Stranton area, of Hartlepool, who it says are nearly four times as likely to die from heart disease than their neighbours in Elwick, only three-and-a-half miles away.

The figures, highlighting potential “supercentres” of heart disease, were released by the BHF as it launched a £9m programme to tackle inequalities in heart disease.

The BHF’s UK-wide Hearty Lives programme will give those born into deprived areas a greater chance of living to see their grandchildren grow up, and better support if they develop heart disease.

BHF associate medical director Dr Mike Knapton said: “It is deeply unfair that people in these areas are facing the likelihood of an earlier death and a much more difficult future, just because they happen to be born on the ‘wrong’ side of the street.

“Heart disease can have a profound impact on not just your health and your family, but also on your psychosocial wellbeing and economic status.

We must be careful that we are not overlooking the needs of these people just because others living down the road are healthier and wealthier, and inadvertently creating new hotbeds of heart disease and poor psychosocial health.”

The Hearty Lives programme will invest targeted resources in selected communities, and work with health, council and community partners to develop innovative projects tailored to the needs of people living there.

Programme plans will vary across councils, and examples include services to help teenagers stop smoking, and heart health support for people who work in inactive jobs.

Dr Knapton said: “This approach recognises that one size does not fit all when it comes to health.

“Recent statistics highlight that the health system is better at helping the wealthy than the poor, so it is important that we all work together to find new ways of addressing this imbalance.”