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Britain's poorest are twice as likely to die before the age of 65 than its richest - the widest life expectancy gap since the economic depression of the 1930s.

Teams from Bristol and Sheffield examined the available data on mortality rates, which goes back to 1921. Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) they report: 'By 2007, for every 100 people under the age of 65 dying in the best-off areas, 199 were dying in the poorest'.

'The last time in the long economic record that inequalities were almost as high was in the lead up to the economic crash of 1929 and the economic depression of the 1930s,' the researchers say.

They warn that the situation could worsen, as the effects of the recent economic downturn are felt. 'The economic crash of 2008 might precede even greater inequalities in mortality between areas in Britain,' they say.

Cardiovascular inequality gap needs closing

In the same week, heart czar Professor Roger Boyle has warned more needs to be done in his particular field.

The joint article in the British Journal of General Practice applauds an almost 50 per cent cut in cardiovascular mortality over the past decade, but is disappointed that the 'reductions have not been equally distributed'.

Getting clinicians to take into account wider issues such as deprivation, ethnicity, sex and age are among the report's suggestions for improving the situation.

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