CASH-STRAPPED health bosses are getting less than the national average to spend on patients, despite the borough having worse than average health problems.

Rates of heart disease, strokes, smoking deaths, drink-related illness and life expectancy are significantly worse in Warrington than in the UK as a whole.

But the borough's 195,000 residents are each having up to £60 less than the national average spent on them while neighbouring Halton, Knowsley and Merseyside get £177 more because they are more deprived.

The figures published by Warrington Primary Care Trust, which has reported debts of £7.9m, add up to an £11m funding shortfall from the Department of Health David Mowat, the Conservative's parliamentary spokesman for Warrington South, has called on the town's two Labour MPs, Helen Southworth and Helen Jones to do more to put Warrington on a level playing field.

"These are statistics that people should know about and understand," he said.

"If MPs are supposed to do anything for their town it is to hassle the people who work out the allocations and make sure Warrington gets its fair share.

"If the PCT had this extra £11m it could pay for dozens of new doctors, nurses or physiotherapists or wipe out its debts without extra cuts.

A spokesman for Helen Jones said the Warrington North MP was on holiday and unavailable for comment.

Helen Southworth's offices in south Warrington and Westminster could not be contacted.