A "scandalous" link between poverty and early deaths is higher in Liverpool than almost anywhere else in the country.

BBC analysis showed people living in the poorest parts of the country were more likely to die prematurely than those in the most affluent parts - and named Liverpool as one of the worst places in the country for high avoidable death rates.

Illnesses classified as avoidable deaths include heart disease, some cancers, respiratory conditions and type 2 diabetes in people under 75.

The BBC's Shared Data Unit compared the number of premature deaths to deprivation statistics and found a "strong correlation" between the two.

The report, which Old Swan-born Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described as "scandalous", found that in England, affluent areas in the South like Chiltern in Buckinghamshire, South Oxfordshire, South Cambridgeshire and Hart in Hampshire had the lowest avoidable death rates.

However, Northern cities with high levels of deprivation fared far worse.

Liverpool was named as having some of the highest avoidable death rates in the country alongside Blackpool, Manchester, Hull and Middlesbrough.

A breakdown of the BBC data revealed in Liverpool, the avoidable death rate is 326 per 100,000, compared with 138 per 100,000 in Chiltern.

Liverpool is ranked fourth for its proportion of areas classified to be in the top 10% most deprived nationally, compared to Chiltern which was ranked 211th.

And the premature death rate is far higher for men than women in Liverpool, with 404 premature deaths per 100,000 for males compared to 254 for females.

Councillor Paul Brant, cabinet member for health at Liverpool council, said: “These figures are a shocking reminder of the challenges that we face and should be a wake-up call to the Government.

“Our work has been made far harder by the 65% cut in our budget from central Government since 2010, which has forced us to cut down on preventative services and a swathe of initiatives designed to improve lives.

“Meanwhile, cuts to benefits for working families such as tax credits and the introduction of the bedroom tax has also left many households teetering on the brink of crisis, often not knowing how they can make ends meet.

“We are doing what we can, such as by offsetting Government cuts to council tax support, and offering emergency payments for rent and other essentials, but it is no way for people to live.

“The bottom line is that tackling poverty needs significant investment and isn’t something a local authority can do alone.”

This comes after cancer statistics revealed that within Liverpool there are high levels of health inequality, with residents in the most deprived parts of the city four more times likely to die early from lung cancer than those in the most affluent parts.