‘I’m nervy!’ Blackpool man left feeling anxious as town’s male life expectancy drops to lowest in UK

A 66-year-old Blackpool resident has expressed concern after learning his hometown now has Britain’s lowest male life expectancy.

Blackpool has recorded the lowest male life expectancy in Britain, with boys born between 2021 and 2023 expected to live for just 73.1 years.

Steven Whittaker, who has recently been diagnosed with high triglycerides, told GB News: “It makes me slightly nervy to be truthful.

“I’m 66 years of age, but I think I’m in good health at the moment. I have just been diagnosed with high triglycerides, which is a cholesterol thing.

“I’ve been given medication like a blood thinners but other than that, I feel fine.

“But maybe that’s down to me because I’m not elderly. I’m not a smoker or anything like that, you know?”

When asked whether he believes that this could be due to the depravation in the area, he shared his concerns about the cost of living crisis.

He explained: “Any increase is worrying. Even if you were to pay like an extra £50 a month or something like that.

“Obviously I’m retired. I’m a little bit nervy of what’s coming down the line. One minute they say it’s going not bad.

“Then taxes will increase. Although I will get certain allowances you still have to watch the pennies, when I go food shopping, I won’t say I am watching every penny, but I’m monitoring what I spend.

“I’m not saying I’m the only person, but there will be quite a few in a similar situation.”

This marks a historic shift as Glasgow, which previously held the unfortunate position since records began, now has a slightly higher life expectancy of 73.6 years.

The figures represent a concerning milestone for the Lancashire coastal resort, which has now taken the bottom position in national life expectancy rankings.

This stark statistic places Blackpool at the forefront of a broader pattern of lower life expectancy in northern regions of Britain.

The geographical spread of lowest life expectancy reveals a clear north-south divide across Britain.

In stark contrast, the areas with highest male life expectancy are exclusively in southern England.

Female life expectancy figures mirror the regional disparities seen in male statistics.