Lives are being cut short in Sussex because of illnesses which could have been treated.

Thousands of years of life lost every year in the county, with Brighton and Hove reporting a higher than average rate of premature deaths compared to the national average.

This is caused by conditions such as heart disease, cancer, Aids, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, asthma and gastric ulcer.

The figures, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), are based on conditions which should not cause early deaths when there is effective healthcare that can be accessed promptly.

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The report examines how many people die earlier than normal life expectancy would suggest.

Across Sussex and Surrey an average 1,738 years of life are lost per 100,000 of the population registered with a GP compared to the national average of 2,061.

There was a mixed response across Sussex, with Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford, Crawley and Hastings and Rother all reporting higher than average premature death rates.

Coastal West Sussex, Horsham and Mid Sussex and the High Weald, Lewes and Havens areas were all below average.

Nationally, more than a million years of life are lost every year in England.

HSCIC chairman Kingsley Manning said: “This report provides an insight into premature deaths which is essential to those providing and planning health services across the country.

“It is striking that more than one million potential years of life were lost for people registered with GPs last year in England – the equivalent to just over one week for every single registered person in the country.

“This report makes an important contribution to understanding differences in health outcomes across the country alongside other HSCIC data, for instance on public health.”

Research has shown higher premature death rates can be linked to areas which have higher levels of deprivation.

Studies have shown people living in these areas will often have more health problems linked to behaviours like poor diet, drinking and smoking.

Brighton and Hove in particular has higher than average numbers of people admitted to hospital with alcohol-related illnesses.