MORE than 30 people in Worcester die early as a result of a heart attack every year, a study has shown.

Figures released by the British Heart Foundation show an average of 31 people in the city aged younger than 75 die following a heart attack on an annual basis, along with 37 in Wychavon and 29 in the Malvern Hills.

The Wyre Forest topped the figures for Worcestershire with an average of 44 premature deaths as a result of heart attacks a year. Meanwhile people in Redditch were least likely to die early following a heart attack, with only 22 deaths a year.

Across the West Midlands as a whole 2,100 people aged younger than 75 suffer fatal heart attacks every year, along with 22,000 in the UK.

The British Heart Foundation has said about there are about 200,000 people in the West Midlands with coronary heart disease – the main cause of heart attacks – and has launched a campaign calling for more research into cures for the condition.

The charity’s chief executive Simon Gillespie said: “Every week heart attacks devastate hundreds of families across the UK by killing loved ones at an early age and leaving many others with debilitating heart conditions that make the rest of their life a daily struggle.

“The only way we can find new ways to prevent and treat heart attacks is by funding more research.

“Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters, much of the research we’ve funded over the last 50 years is today helping to save and improve lives.

“We now need the continued backing of our supporters and the general public if we’re to make the advances that could save even more lives from heart disease.”