A national survey by the Coalfield Communities Campaign (CCC) has identified a corner of the North-East as having the worst funded health services in the country.

And the damning findings have prompted MP John Cummings, who represents Easington in County Durham, to call on Prime Minister Tony Blair and Health Secretary John Reid to intervene.

As well as highlighting east Durham as the most deprived area of health funding, the study also identified all coalfield areas - including Derwentside and Sedgefield, in County Durham, and Sunderland - as faring far less well than affluent regions in the country.

Primary Care Trusts in these areas are receiving millions of pounds less than their fair share of health funding, according to the study.

Easington is underfunded by about £26m, Derwentside by £2.4m, Sedgefield by £2.6m and Sunderland by £5.6m, the report says.

Mr Cummings said yesterday: "Analysts have accepted the link between economic deprivation and ill health.

"It is clear that people living in poorer local authority areas suffer from significantly greater levels of ill health than people living in wealth- ier areas."

Mr Cummings said the study also confirmed what the Miners' Group of MPs have been saying for a number of years. He said: "The areas with the poorest level of health are predominantly coalfield and ex-industrial areas.

"I am pressing the Government to change the present funding formula for primary care trusts, which has perversely resulted in parts of the country like Easington, with the highest levels of ill-health, also being those which are furthest away from their needs-based funding target."

Mr Cummings said that unequal access to health resources was an issue that the Government and John Reid, in particular, was committed to tackle.

He said: "The present and former English coalfields are currently under-funded by around £260m a year, while wealthier areas in the South- East are receiving £130m above their weighted capitation formula.

Former miner Mr Cummings added: "Social justice demands that government fulfils its responsibility to adequately fund health service provision in former community areas such as Easington

"I have today sent a copy of the CCC report to the Health Secretary, John Reid, and my colleague the Rt Hon Tony Blair, who represent some of the worst affected communities in east Durham."