BOLTON continues to top the list of shame for coronary heart disease.

Statistics show that 587 men and 172 women in Wigan and Bolton died from coronary heart disease between 1997 and 1999.

Bolton is one of the worst towns in the country for the disease with 51 deaths per 100,000 compared to Kent which has 22 deaths per 100,000 people.

Cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol and eating high fat, high salt diets are major causes.

Coronary heart disease also runs in families. Scientists are examining the links between the disease and inherited factors such as genetic make-up.

It is also more prelavant among Asian communities who are more likely to have diabetes, which can lead to heart disease in later life.

Experts say that heart disease is falling due to more people changing their lifestyles, but death rates in Bolton continue to be higher than average.