MEN and women in Hartlepool are more likely to die young of heart disease than elsewhere in the region.

Figures produced by the British Heart Foundation point to Hartlepool having an uneviable record compared to the rest of the region when it comes to coronary heart disease deaths in people under 65.

Premature death rates for the North-East are much higher than in North Yorkshire.

But there is a clear gap between Hartlepool and the rest.

Hartlepool tops the league for men and women.

The foundation calculated that 74 men out of every 100,000 under 65 die in Hartlepool each year.

While the rate for women in Hartlepool is much lower, 23 per 100,000, it is significantly higher than the next worst - 19 per 100,000 in Middlesbrough.

Other male hotspots for heart deaths per 100,000 people under 65 includes Newcastle (66) and Easington, in County Durham (65).

For women, other hotspots for premature coronary heat deaths in the region include Sedgefield, Easington and Wear Valley, which all have 19 deaths per 100,000 women under 65.

In general, the death rates for men under 65 in the North-East (56 per 100,000) are much higher than the English average of 45.

For women, the North-East average is 15 premature deaths per 100,000 compared with the English average of 11.

North Yorkshire gets off comparatively lightly, with only Scarborough - with a death rate of 52 for men and 12 for women - featuring in the worst ten areas for premature heart deaths within Yorkshire and the Humber.

Most of North Yorkshire falls into the mid-30s for men and less than ten for women, compared to the regional average of 49.32 for men and 12.35 for women.

Dr Mike Knapton, of the foundation, said: "These statistics help inform where most work needs to be done to reduce premature heart disease deaths in future."