Residents in some of England's healthiest postcodes have credited habits such as reading and regular walking with helping them live longer, according to a report examining stark regional disparities in life expectancy across the country. By contrast, people in the town identified as having the lowest life expectancy in England pointed to drug use, cheap alcohol and fast food as key factors dragging down local health outcomes.

The findings highlight the widening gap in how long people live depending on where in England they are based, with lifestyle and environmental factors repeatedly cited as decisive influences. While the healthiest areas point to simple, low-cost habits like walking and reading as protective factors, the town with the poorest outcomes describes a very different daily reality shaped by substance misuse and access to cheap, unhealthy food and drink.