... And so is the death rate

MORE than 170 Halton residents died in January as the borough’s mortality rate doubled in the space of a month from the end of 2017.

The Office For National Statistics (ONS) has published monthly numbers on deaths registered by area of usual residence.

At the start of the year, a total of 171 Runcorn and Widnes residents passed away – more than double the 84 recorded just a month before in December.

The figure is also more than 50 greater than the 117 recorded during the same period in 2017.

Last year, a total of 1,197 people died in Runcorn and Widnes.

According to the ONS in 2015 there were a total of 1,222 deaths in the borough, which rose to 1,252 in 2016 before falling last year.

2017 began in Halton with 117 deaths being registered in January, which fell to 95 in February but rose again to 115 in March.

There was a drop to 93 deaths in July before a rise to 110 in both August and September in the area.

The final quarter of 2017 for residents passing away remained fairly stead with 86 deaths recorded in October, 89 in November and the year ended with 84 in December.