BRADFORD has been named and shamed as one of the “unhealthiest” high streets in the country in a new report.

Research by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that residents living in towns with lots of bookies and off-licences die younger than those with plenty of libraries and pharmacies.

Its ranking of 70 high streets found those living in the top 10 healthy areas lived an average of two-and-a-half years longer than those with the 10 unhealthiest high streets.

Bradford ranks in tenth position, with Grimsby, Walsall, Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent and Sunderland taking the top five places.

The Health on the High Street: Running on Empty report used a scale giving points for pubs and bars, dentists, opticians, libraries, leisure centres, museums and galleries, pharmacies, coffee shops and vape shops.

Points were deducted for betting shops, payday lenders, fast food outlets, off licences, tanning salons and empty shops.

The list was first published in 2015 and was updated this year to reflect the changing face of the British high street.

It added off-licences and the growing number of empty shops to the list of negative features on a high street, while cafes and vape shops were added to the positive influences.

Coming top in the healthy stakes was Edinburgh followed by Canterbury and Taunton.

The research found that 4,000 new fast food outlets had opened across the UK in the past five years - predominantly in poorer areas.

Deprived areas now have five times more fast food shops than wealthy neighbourhoods, the RSPH said. In Bradford, a huge rise in the number of takeaways in Bradford has seen 240 open their doors in the last eight years.

Figures have revealed that 180 takeaways were open for business in 2010, but eight years later than number has gone up rapidly to 420, with some opening next door to each other.

A poll on the Telegraph & Argus website revealed 84 per cent of participants agreed that Bradford has too many takeaways.

And it was recently revealed the number of gambling businesses in Bradford has also risen since 2010.

Back in September, the T&A reported on a scheme designed to make it easier for developers to turn empty city centre shops into bars and restaurants.

Under the new proposals, planning restrictions on streets blighted by empty stores would be loosened in a bid to attract more businesses, like shops, restaurants and cafes, bars and pubs and “professional services” like estate agents and banks.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said the Council is working hard to make the city and town centres "vibrant and attractive places" and partnership work is ongoing to "support people to live longer, healthier and happier lives". A Health and Wellbeing Strategy has also been launched.

Meanwhile, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said the city centre remains a priority as part of the Council's wider approach to economic growth across the district.

"The Council have introduced a range of policies and initiatives support the regeneration of the city centre and help revitalise the high street.," he said.

“We are mindful of balancing the need for local businesses to thrive with the need to promote healthy eating, which is why, over the last three years the Council has worked with takeaways to reduce the salt, fat and calorie content in their meals, and since 2014 new planning rules meant there could be no takeaways within 400 metres of a school or youth facility, which has resulted in the refusal of almost 30 applications for takeaways.”