Southport in the Top 15 unhealthiest places in the UK

A new report by the Royal Society for Public Health named Southport as the 11th most unhealthy place in the UK with Preston taking the number one spot.

The report published today names Southport as having the 11th most unhealthy high street in the UK. The report was based on a number of factors which all contribute to our physical and mental heath. Everything from fast food and take away places to tanning salons and betting shops. Preston was said to have the highest density of establishments that are dangerous to both mental and physical health with Blackpool coming in 4th with a massive 1,136 establishments. Shrewsbury was named the healthiest place with the highest number of establishments that benefited the publics health.

The Royal Society for Public Health represents 6,000 public heath doctors and other specialists in the field. Leisure centres were rated the most beneficial on the society’s “Richter scale of health”, with a score of +7, even above health services (+6), among what it called “hazards” to health, tanning salons came in at -1, fish and chip shops, kebab shops and other fast food takeaways at -2, while payday loan shops came bottom, on -4. Pubs were rated as beneficial to public heath as they are “hubs of community life, important for mental health and wellbeing. They provide a social space and many host a variety of events such as pub quizzes, competitions, sports screenings, live music, parties and have links with local sports teams and charity efforts,”. The RSPH also wants to see cigarette-style health warnings applied to businesses that do too little to reduce the harmful impact of their product, such as high-interest loans and other ways to warn the public.