The health of residents in Newham and Richmond are as opposite as the stations on the Tube line that connects them, according to a report released by the Office for National Statistics.

Newham was second bottom out of 152 local authorities in England when it comes to the time residents can expect to live without a limiting long-standing illness or disability.

Men in the borough can expect 58 and women 57 years of healthy life on average, just ahead of last-placed Tower Hamlets.

At the other end of the District Line, however, men in Richmond Upon Thames can expect 69 years of good health and women 71.

The Isles of Scilly topped the list with just over 71 years for men and 73 years for women while Hackney joined Newham and Tower Hamlets at the bottom, making the trio of East London boroughs the worst in the country.

The nearby City of London, however, was in the top 10 – with men’s health holding out to just under the age of 71 and women’s to around 73.

Overall life expectancy in Newham was 78 for men and 82 for women, the study covering 2009-13 also revealed. In the borough, the proportion of a woman’s life spent in good health is 69 per cent, while a man’s is just over 70pc.

In top-rated local authorities, people can expect between 80pc and 85pc of their lives to be healthy.

Cllr Clive Furness, health and wellbeing board co-chairman, said: “We are currently looking at how all the work to tackle some of the biggest health issues impacting on our residents’ healthy life expectancy can be better brought together. This includes tackling diabetes, cancers, heart and lung problems and giving children the best start in life. It is also important to deal with some of the wider issues impacting on people’s quality of life and health including poor housing and deprivation.

“It is then important to encourage and support people of all ages to become more active and have healthier diets. The council provides all primary school children with a free healthy school meal everyday, and invests in a sport and physical activity programme that ensures all of our residents, regardless of age, ability, or interest are able to get active.

“Life expectancy is improving within the borough, but one of the tasks we have is to ensure that the years of ‘healthy life’ are also extended. We will continue to help our residents to live longer and healthier lives despite being severely impacted by the continued cuts in government funding across all of our services.”