Northerners are much less likely to live to old age than southerners, according to new figures.

Manchester residents had the lowest life expectancy in the country between 2007 and 2009, with men having only a 54 per cent chance of surviving to their mid-70s and women having a 69 per cent chance.

Men in South Buckinghamshire had the best hope of long life, with a 78 per cent chance of celebrating their 75th birthday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed.

Women in Waverley in Surrey meanwhile had an 86 per cent chance of making it to 75.

Life expectancy had risen across England and Wales as a whole since 2003-05, when men had a 65 per cent chance and women a 77 per cent chance of living to 75.

By 2007-2009 these figures had risen to 68 per cent and 79 per cent respectively.

Regional variations narrowed but remained significant however, with men and women in the north east and north west facing lower probabilities of survival than those in the south west, south east and east of England.

And men’s life expectancy improved at a greater pace than women’s.