NEARLY 700 people in Stroud died prematurely between 2014 and 2016, official statistics have revealed.

According to latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, 697 residents died under the age of 75 from conditions deemed preventable, treatable or both - through timely and effective healthcare or public interventions.

Such deaths include those from health conditions such as heart disease, some cancers, respiratory diseases and type 2 diabetes - where lifestyle and environment may have contributed - and those that could have been prevented such as HIV/AIDS, accidental and self-inflicted injuries, various infections and drug use disorders.

According to BBC analysis, which looked at areas across the UK, there was a strong correlation between the rate of avoidable deaths and the level of deprivation in an area.

Stroud ranks 211 out of 326 local authorities for levels of deprivation, making it one of the least deprived in the country alongside Chiltern in Buckinghamshire and Hart in Hampshire.

The figures show the rate of premature deaths was 185 per 100,000 in Stroud, compared to Chiltern where the avoidable death rate was the lowest at 137.9 and Manchester where it was highest at 388.

Manchester is one of the most deprived local authority areas in the country.

For men in Stroud, the death rate was 239 (424 deaths) but for women it was considerably lower at 138 (273 deaths).