THE MIRROR: What age will you die? Find your predicted age of death as figures reveal huge divide

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Dr Kingsley Purdam, senior lecturer in social research methods and statistics at the University of Manchester, said the figures were "shocking".

"Research has indicated that the life expectancy gap between economically deprived and prosperous areas is increasing, and evidence suggests that life expectancy has either stalled or began to decline in many areas of the country," he said.

"A number of interrelated factors are associated with lower life expectancy. These include: access to health care, income, employment, smoking and alcohol consumption, diet, exercise, the local environment, social status and social isolation."

Dr Purdam added: "The economic deprivation levels of an area and premature mortality have been shown to be strongly associated.

"More than a decade of cuts to vital public services provided by local authorities and the National Health Service have been claimed to be impacting on health outcomes - for example, research by Age UK has highlighted how an estimated 1.8 million older people currently have unmet social care needs.

"The differences in life expectancy are not only an issue for those people who die, but also for those people they leave behind."