A MAJOR government drive to increase life expectancy is failing to make major inroads in East Lancashire, it has been revealed.

Health bosses in the area are "off track" under a plan to narrow the huge life expectancy gap with other parts of the country.

However, Primary Care Trust bosses have insisted it will take decades before their new initiatives start to take effect.

The area's health authorities were among 88 targeted by ministers and bosses that were told that they had to increase life expectancy by as much as five years by 2010.

But the borough of Blackburn with Darwen, along with Burnley and Pendle have been named and shamed in Parliament as being three of the places which are not on course to meet the Government targets.

Five of East Lancashire's six borough's were named among the 88 priority "spearhead" areas and told by the Department of Health to boost life expectancy.

When the scheme was announced last year, health figures showed that there was a widening gap between "spearhead" areas and the rest of the country.

But 18 months on, MPs in the House of Commons have been told by health minister Caroline Flint that in Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley and Pendle progress targets are not being met - and the gap is still widening, meaning East Lancashire folk are still dying too young.

Ms Flint said that help will be offered to local primary care trusts (PCTs) that need it.

However Dr Gifford Kerr, from the Blackburn with Darwen PCT, said more time was needed to see an improvement in life expectancy figures.

Dr Kerr said: "Increasing life expectancy is a long term aim as many factors are involved.

"In Blackburn with Darwen we know that cardio vascular disease is the single biggest cause of premature death in men and women under 75.

"However in the last 15 years we have made significant progress in reducing premature deaths from cardio vascular disease."

Figures in Blackburn with Darwen show that improvements for male life expectancy are on track but are lagging behind for women.

In Hyndburn the statistics show that the borough is meeting the targets set.

The "spearhead" scheme began 18 months ago.

Areas were told that male life expectancy must rise to 78.6 years by 2010 but in East Lancashire that figure is an average of 74.1.

For women the target is 82.5 years but in Blackburn the current age is 77.6, in Hyndburn is 79 and in the Ribble Valley it is 81.5.