High streets taken over by bookmakers, loan shops, tanning salons and fast-food outlets can damage people’s health, a new report claims.

High streets that have been taken over by bookmakers, loan shops, tanning salons and fast food outlets can damage people’s health, a new report claimed today.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has revealed a league table of the UK’s “unhealthiest high streets” based on the businesses found in 70 areas of the UK.

It named Preston as the town with the unhealthiest high street in Britain, closely followed by Middlesbrough and Coventry.

Shrewsbury in Shropshire was said to have the “healthiest” high street in the country, ahead of Ayr, Salisbury, Perth and Hereford. They scored highly for having “health-promoting” businesses in their main retail area, including leisure centres, health clubs, libraries, pharmacies and art galleries.

The society warned that “high streets are being overtaken by businesses with potentially damaging consequences for public health”, adding that high streets are increasingly becoming “home to business activities which may undermine and potentially harm the public’s health.”

The RSPH used the report to call for a limit of 5% of space on every high street to be dedicated to each “unhealthy” type of business in a bid to avoid the “negative impact” they were having on public health.

Businesses were scored by more than 2,000 members of the public, as well as public health and local government experts. They were asked to what extend they thought each business encouraged healthy choices, promoted social interaction, promoted positive mental wellbeing and provided access to health and advice.

The league table was compiled based on the scores and the commonness of each type of business on each high street.

Towns and cities in the North of England and the Midlands were more likely to have “unhealthy” businesses on their high streets, the survey found.

The society’s chief executive Shirley Cramer said: “Our research does find higher concentrations of unhealthy businesses exist in places which already experience high levels of deprivation and premature mortality.”

Cramer added that local authorities should be given greater powers to limit the number of “unhealthy” businesses on Britain’s high streets.

Britain’s “unhealthiest” high streets

1. Preston

2. Middlesbrough

3. Coventry

4. Blackpool

5. Northampton

6. Wolverhampton

7. Grimsby

8. Huddersfield

9. Stoke-on-Trent

10. Eastbourne

Britain’s “healthiest” high streets

1. Shrewsbury

2. Ayr

3. Salisbury

4. Perth

5. Hereford

6. Carlisle

7. Cambridge

8. Cheltenham

9. York

10. Bristol

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