HEALTH agencies, politicians and residents have vowed to band together in an effort to improve Halton's shockingly bad levels of ill-health.

Delegates, including academics, health chiefs, doctors and nurses, Halton MP Derek Twigg and Weaver Vale MP Mike Hall, gathered at a meeting in Runcorn to plan a strategy to improve standards of health in Runcorn and Widnes.

Battle plans are being drawn-up to encourage residents to eat healthy food, take more exercise and quit smoking.

The action comes just a year after a State of the Borough report painted a depressing picture of life in Halton.

The report, which made grim reading, highlighted deepening problems of deprivation, poor health and shortened life expectancy and its findings left health professionals shocked.

The report revealed that in England and Wales:

* Halton is the 18th most deprived local authority area.

* The borough has the second worst Standard Mortality Rate (SMR) for all causes of death.

* Halton has the highest rate of infant mortality.

* Average life expectancy is four years shorter than the national average.

The report also showed that 10 wards in Halton are in the top 10% of the most deprived wards in England, with Castlefields and Murdishaw in Runcorn and Kingsway and Riverside the most deprived in the borough.

Eight wards are in the top 10% for child poverty and 10 wards in the same category for employment.

Earlier this year, Halton Borough Council named improving health as its number one priority for the next decade in the authority's strategy document.

Cancer is a major concern. While the high levels of cancer highlighted in the report came as no surprise, health chiefs were shocked to see that levels of the disease were continuing to rise in Halton.