A high street in Brent has been named as one of the ‘healthiest’ in London.

Kingsbury Road in Kingsbury, is sixth in the top ten list compiled by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

The league table forms part of RSPH’s Health on the High Street campaign which is calling for local authorities to be given greater powers to stop ‘negative’ businesses opening on them.

RSPH has identified businesses such as payday lenders, betting shops, fast food outlets and tanning shops as having the most negative impacts on high streets.

While pharmacies, leisure centres, and health services create a ‘healthier’ high street such as Kingsbury Road.

Using scores of between minus two (for a payday loan shop) to plus two (leisure centre), 144 high streets in London were rated according to the type of businesses on them.

Whetstone High Street was rated the healthiest and Whitechapel Road in east London, the unhealthiest.

Shirley Cramer CBE, chief executive of 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. This could be achieved by granting local authorities enhanced powers to create a rich mix of health promoting businesses on our high streets and encouraging businesses to promote healthy choices.”