Shropshire village has death rate similar to Rwanda

Two areas of Shropshire have death rates so high they are comparable to African villages, new figures claim today.

Whittington, near Oswestry, has the second highest mortality rate in the country, with 1,468 deaths per 100,000 people, according to data released to Parliament.

And Horsehay and Lightmoor, which is part of Telford & Wrekin, is ranked at 25 on the list with a death rate of 1,118 per 100,000 people.

By contrast, the death rate in Rwanda is 1,427 per 100,000 people and 1,452 in Botswana.

According to public health experts the figures illustrate the problems of former industrial areas which have fallen into decline. They also highlight problems caused by social problems.

The statistics, supplied by the Office for National Statistics are topped by Bryncethin, in Bridgend, south Wales, which had 1,499 deaths per 100,000 in 2009. The death rate for England was put at just 462.

Professor Ian Harvey, chairman of the faculty of public health's research committee, questioned the figures' reliability because of the small areas being studied.

And Shropshire councillors are not convinced.

Whittington Councillor Steve Charmley said: "Whittington is a lovely place to live. I wouldn't say we had an above average death rate." Horsehay and Lightmoor councillor Clive Mollet also doubted the figures' accuracy.

A spokesman for Shropshire County Primary Care Trust said Oswestry had been identified as having higher levels of health inequalities.

"Overall it is recognised that Shropshire is generally a very healthy place to live," he said.

A spokeswoman for NHS Telford and Wrekin said: "The proportion of people living in deprivation is known to affect health outcomes in local communities.

"However, numbers of deaths at ward level are small and there are other factors which affect the death rates such as the presence or clustering of nursing and residential care homes."