RESIDENTS in the poorest wards in Darlington can expect to live 13 years less than in the more affluent areas, a top level inquiry has revealed.

Six months ago Darlington Partnership and MP Alan Milburn formed six task groups to examine every aspect of life in the borough.

The health task group is now looking at ways it can persuade people to adopt more healthy lifestyles to reduce the gap in life expectancy.

It will target the worst affected wards with a series of schemes before spreading them across the rest of the town

Men in Lingfield ward on average can expect to live to just 69 - well below the national average - but in Park West the age is 82.

The difference in life expectancy for women is little better with a difference of 12 years.

The Investor in Health inquiry group is chaired by The Northern Echo editor Peter Barron.

He said he was shocked at the findings. We need to look at how we can close that gap if we are to make a real difference," he said. "We need to find out why we are dragging behind the national average.

"But the blunderbuss approach is not the answer.

"We have got to be targeted, starting with the worst wards before rolling it out across the borough."

The group has recommended:

* Targeting the Primary Care Trust to achieve 50 per cent more people giving up smoking in the worst wards than the best.

* Targeting binge drinkers with particular emphasis on 16 to 30-year-old women

* Aiming to reduce the number of emergency hospital admissions for alcohol among ten to 19-year-old girls to nil

* Reversing the trend among 40 to 45-year-old men for alcohol related hospital admissions.

* Tackling the obesity epidemic among young people by promoting health in schools, particularly at primary level.

The inquiry group also pinpointed potential to improve the district's health through sport, mobilising the public interest around the 2012 Olympics.

The group outlined plans to improve access to a host of sports and leisure facilities, including the formal requirement for developers to feature active leisure pursuits in any significant planning application.

Mr Barron said that commitment by Darlington Borough Council to include this in its constitution was a signal that public health and leisure were being raised up the agenda.

Great emphasis was also placed on developing and supporting the grassroots sports network and community-led physical education programmes.