The two UK cities with lowest life expectancy for men and women

Glasgow and Blackpool have the lowest life expectancy in Britain, with locals blaming cheap booze, poor diet, drugs, lack of work opportunities and mental health issues.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in Glasgow, women are expected to live up to 78.3 years. And in Blackpool, the figure for boys is even more tragic, at a shocking 73.6 years.

Glasgow, once a major industrial city in the UK during the Industrial Revolution and into the 20th century, has faced significant challenges in terms of public health and life expectancy.

The Glasgow effect refers to the lower life expectancy of Glasgow's residents compared to the rest of the United Kingdom and Europe.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, locals were not surprised by the figures.

One woman shared her worries about the city's night club scene, increasing risk of sexual assault and drug consumption.

A previous NHS report estimated that there were approximately 500 people regularly injecting drugs in Glasgow’s city centre.

Between 2019 and 2023, Glasgow had the highest rate of drug misuse deaths in Scotland, with 44.6 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the National Records of Scotland.

Another issue raised was the long waiting time for GP appointments, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic and further widened the life expectancy gap.

Teacher Dorothy Gillies said poor diet is a problem especially for mothers who often don't have the time to cook fresh meals from scratch.

She told DailyMail: "I can rustle up a pot of carrot soup for £1 but I think many of my generation missed out on that ability.

"I had a Big Mac the other day on my way here but that was a rare treat. To others, it's their staple diet."

Some have decided to switch Glasgow, for its suburbs or even different countries.

A few years ago, Elizabeth Kelly left her home town and emigrated to a sunnier climate in Fuengirola, in Spain.

Now, at 84, she's already six years better off than her typical fellow citizen who will die aged 78.3 years.

The former nanny told DailyMail: "Now that I'm in Spain, I do a lot more walking than if I stayed here.

"It would be horrible living in Glasgow now. I really don't fancy coming back."

Locals from Blackpool, which recently replaced Glasgow as the worst city for males who want a long life, highlighted the negative impacts of the town's seasonal nature.

Blackpool’s average life expectancy for men is now 18 months lower than in 2019.

As a seaside town dependent on tourism, many jobs disappear after the summer, leaving a significant dip in income.

During the off-season, its residents face financial strain and feel more depressed. A recent Blackpool Council report revealed that the town had the highest rate of serious mental illnesses in England.

Last year, England's chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty called for a specific national strategy to address the figures.

He told Sky News: "Each individual coastal town has been seen as an individual problem.

"What I think we need to do is see them as a group of mainly towns, some smaller cities and create a solution for them at a national level.

"This is a problem which is not going to solve itself… and because of an ageing population, the expectation is that if we do nothing, it will in fact get worse."