Death from coronary heart disease in South Gloucestershire is falling steadily as the level of smoking continues to drop.

But as life expectancy in the district improves generally, it is especially the case for men.

A report by Dr Chris Payne, the director of public health in South Gloucestershire, said some areas of women's health were getting worse, particularly those linked to cigarette smoking.

Figures showed a declining mortality rate from lung cancer in men but a plateau, or slight increase, in women.

Dr Payne said: "This reflects a slower reduction in smoking in women over the past 60 years, particularly in the period between 1948 and the early Seventies."

Where men live also influences their likely life span. The report said those in the more affluent areas benefited from an increase in life expectancy compared to those in the most deprived places, where there was no significant improvement.

For women, the difference in life expectancy in the most and least deprived areas appeared to have reduced to the point where the difference was not statistically significant.