RESIDENTS in Blackburn and Darwen have been identified as among the most at risk people in the country of developing diabetes.

The borough has been ranked the sixth most at risk place in the country by charity Diabetes UK behind Slough, Leicester, Birmingham, Luton and London.

Staff at the charity made the finding because 21.79 per cent of the borough's population are from South Asian or African Caribbean backgrounds - people both prone to Type 2 diabetes.

Now residents in Blackburn and Darwen are being urged to go for a health check to see if they are a sufferer.

Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "There are hundreds of thousands of people with diabetes walking our streets who do not even realise they have it.

"We know those who are most at risk and we really need people to ask themselves if it could be them.

"If they go undiagnosed they are increasing the risk of heart disease, blindness, strokes, kidney disease and amputations."

The only other East Lancashire town Diabetes UK had figures for was Burnley.

Residents there, because only eight per cent were from the ethnic backgrounds, are said to have a relatively low risk of developing diabetes.

Diabetes UK looked at the age, weight and ethnic profile of the UK to identify the areas where people are more likely to have diabetes and is highlighting the need for key-risk groups to visit their GPs.

The charity has also launched its Measure Up campaign to further highlight how waist measurements can have a dramatic impact on a person's chances of developing diabetes.

Men who are overweight or have a waist measurement of 37 inches or more (35 for Asian men) have a higher chance of contracting diabetes, as do all women with a waist measurement over 31.5 inches.

Being over 40 years old for white people, and over 25 for people of South Asian and African Caribbean origin also puts you at higher risk, as does having a family history of diabetes.

Visit www.diabetes.org.uk for more details.