Thousands of extra patients are benefiting from the Government's war on heart disease, according to Health Secretary Alan Milburn.

Two years after the Darlington MP made heart disease his number one ministerial priority progress is now being made, he told health workers in the town.

By drawing up a national plan to tackle heart disease and injecting millions of pounds into the NHS, more heart operations are being carried out than ever before, he added.

"People were saying it couldn't be done but people are proving it can be done because it is being done," said Mr Milburn, who launched the Darlington Community Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme, the first of its kind in the North-East.

"If anybody said a few years ago that you could dramatically increase the number of heart operations or there was going to be such a huge increase in cholesterol -lowering drugs they would say you must be joking. It isn't a joke, its happening," he said.

The Health Secretary revealed that the prescribing of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins had soared this year by 37 per cent.

The increased prescribing reflects greater efforts to identify patients who are likely to develop serious heart problems.

Mr Milburn launched his national crusade against heart disease after the death of Darlington photographer Ian Weir.

Mr Weir, 38, died while waiting for a heart bypass operation, sparking The Northern Echo's A Chance To Live campaign to improve heart services.

The Health Secretary had particular praise for the new project, set up by Darlington Primary Care Group and Darlington Borough Council with support from GPs and South Durham NHS Trust.

The new scheme, based at Eastbourne Leisure Complex, gives heart patients who have angina or are waiting further investigations the opportunity to join a twice-weekly, 10-week rehabilitation programme which will help them to reduce their risk of further heart problems.

Specialist nurses Barbara Conway and physical activity officer Jenny Alltimes are encouraging patients to stop smoking, lose weight, eat more healthily, take more exercise and learn to relax.

Heart patient Barry Cornell, 57, from Hurworth, said: "I think the course is splendid. I am very privileged."

Latest figures show that the number of patients waiting for a year or more for a bypass fell from 1,150 at the end of June 2000 compared to 645 at the end of June this year.

Read more about A Chance to Live here.