SOUTHAMPTON has one of the unhealthiest high streets in the country, according to new research.

A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health revealed Above Bar ranked 15th in the UK – and first in Hampshire – for businesses that can cause harm to your health.

It is part of an RSPH campaign to make high streets healthier by encouraging businesses to promote good health and urging councils to take stricter action on planning and licensing.

The table is calculated on the number of ‘harmful’ businesses in a high street – like tanning salons, fast food restaurants and betting shops – versus healthy outlets like pharmacies, leisure centres and health services.

Cllr Dave Shields, Cabinet member for health on Southampton City Council, said he did not think Southampton deserved to be so low on the list but wanted the council to have greater planning power to control the types of businesses present in the street.

He said: “Southampton does not strike me as being any worse than any other high street in the country but there is a very good argument for linking up planning much more with public health.

“I would hope central government give us more powers to prevent the spread of a certain type of business taking over a high street or stopping fast food outlets opening near a school – while we could engage more fruit and vegetable market stalls to come to the High Street.

“For example, in my ward in Freemantle there seems to be an overconcentration of payday loan shops and I don’t think that is good for the area.”

He added: “There is a balance to strike between keeping the economy buzzing and we cannot be over-restrictive – I would not want to see Above Bar boarded up.”

Businesses were scored healthy or unhealthy by 2,000 members of the public and a panel of experts on criteria including whether they provide access to health advice, promote positive mental wellbeing and encourage healthy choices.

Shirley Cramer CBE, chief executive of the RSPH, said: “While our ranking of towns and cities is by no means a reflection on whether these areas are generally healthy or unhealthy, our research does find higher concentrations of unhealthy businesses exist in places which already experience high levels of deprivation and premature mortality.

“We recognise that businesses investing in high streets are important for local economies; but this shouldn’t be at any price.

The Five Year Forward View calls for us to move “further and faster” to improve the public’s health.”

The north of England dominated the top 10 unhealthy high streets with Preston topping the list ahead of Middlesbrough and Coventry in second and third respectively.

At the other end of the scale Shrewsbury is the healthiest high street above Ayr and Salisbury.

Bournemouth ranked 33 on the list while Portsmouth was not included.

The RSPH wants future governments to introduce new healthy high street measures such as food hygiene ratings linked to calorie and nutrition labelling at fast food outlets and legislation to allow councils to set their own business rates for shops that promote good health.