EXCESS winter deaths in York fell, according to the most recent statistics for 2013/14.

Nationally, excess winter deaths jumped last year by 151 per cent, official figures show, with the majority of deaths among those aged 75 or over.

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, estimated that there were 43,900 excess winter deaths in England and Wales between December 2014 and March 2015.

That figure is the highest since 1999/00 and the first time excess deaths have exceeded 40,000 this century.

Claudia Wells, the head of mortality statistics at the ONS, said: "While the cold temperature is a factor, most of last winter was warmer than average. A major cause behind the rise was the flu virus, with estimates showing that the flu vaccine was not as effective this winter compared to previous years."

The most recent local statistics show there were 80 excess winter deaths in York in 2013/14 - about 14.3 per cent more than in non winter months. The figures had decreased on proceeding years. Last winter's figures have not yet been published.

In 2013/14 there were 60 excess winter deaths in the East Riding of Yorkshire, 5.5 per cent more than in other seasons. In Selby there were 30 deaths, an increase of 13.2 per cent, in Ryedale there were 50, an increase of 29.6 per cent and in Hambleton there were ten, up by 4.1 per cent.