Asbestos related deaths in the borough are higher than the national average.

Figures obtained by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers show that from 2006 to the end of 2010, mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the lung wall, was recorded as the underlying cause of 32 deaths in the area.

It is the equivalent to 3.1 deaths in 100,000 people with the average for England and Wales during the same period was 2.5.