Medway has among the worst early death rates from cancer in the country, according to new data.

A website showing significant variation in early death rates has been launched to drive public awareness and local action to tackle public health problems.

Longer Lives, a new Public Health England (PHE) website, allows people to see local information on early deaths from major killers like heart disease, stroke and cancer and how it varies across the area and the country.

Using a traffic-light rating system, it shows areas with below average early mortality rates as green, slightly better than average in yellow, worse than average in orange, and those that have high rates are red.

Medway is shown in red on the map, amongst a sea of green for the rest of Kent.

Overall, between 2009 and 2011 there were 284 premature deaths in Medway per 100,000 people, ranking Medway 80th out of 150 local authorities.The total number of premature deaths in the Towns between 2009 and 2011 was 2,305.

The figures show Medway has some of the worst early death rates for cancer - with 121 premature deaths from the disease per 100,000, ranking Medway 119th out of 150 local authorities. High levels of smoking, alcohol and poor diet are all thought to be contributing factors.

Death rates in Medway for heart disease and stroke, lung disease and liver disease are all worse than average, according to the website.

The website contains a range of data that allows people to compare an area’s rate of mortality against those with similar levels of deprivation. Compared to other local authorities with similar levels of deprivation, Medway is classed as worse than average, ranking 11th out of 15.

Dr Graham Bickler , Public Health England director for Kent, Sussex and Surrey, said: “Longer Lives will support local government in its new role as the champion for their public’s health. It presents an important picture of health in local areas – where it is good and where there is more to do – so everyone involved can consider and agree how to make improvements from a common basis of the same information.

“The evidence is clear - a person’s likelihood of dying prematurely from one of the top four killers varies widely between local authorities due to differences in risk factors, and that social deprivation and smoking are the most important factors.

“The website goes further than just data, it contains evidence of what needs to be done and case studies of what has been successful elsewhere. Longer Lives has the potential to make a real difference to the health of each and every community in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. We’ll be working hard with all the local authorities and the NHS across those counties to bring about the changes we need.”

• To view the figures online, visithttp://longerlives.phe.org.uk/