'ROBUST' licensing is needed to tackle alcohol misuse and excess gambling, a report has warned.

Public health chiefs have highlighted dangers facing residents in the council's public health annual report 2018.

They include threats posed by alcohol, gambling and tobacco.

The report says: "The detrimental health effects of alcohol and gambling in excess are well documented, so a robust licensing regime is essential to controlling access by vulnerable individuals, both on and off licensed alcohol premises, and to gambling and gaming machines.

"The misuse of alcohol has become a serious and worsening issue for public health.

"Like gambling, it can impact on relationships and cause ill health.

"It also impacts on the wider determinants of health, including crime.

"Tobacco is the deadliest commercially available product in England, with tobacco regulations serving to safeguard people, particularly children and young people, from the avoidable disease and premature death it causes.

"Comprehensive enforcement is crucial and, across England, smokers, local councils, businesses, particularly tobacco retailers, play a vital role in protecting people from the harms of tobacco.

"This is a responsibility that most people take seriously and research shows high rates of compliance with the majority of tobacco regulations across England."

The report also labels air quality as the 'largest environmental risk' to public health.

And it confirms that during 2017 there were 380 complaints made to the public protection service team.

The most common causes were due to odour, 27 per cent, and bonfires, also 27 per cent.

The report added: "The public protection service monitors nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulates (PM2.5 and PM10) levels and has declared two air quality management areas (AQMA).

"An air quality action plan (AQAP) has been produced to try to improve NO2 concentrations within current AQMAs.

"While the air quality in the majority of Warrington is good, there are areas of poor air quality next to the motorways and main traffic routes.

"The public protection service has a duty to investigate complaints about issues that could be a 'statutory nuisance'.

"In relation to the Clean Air Act, these could be issues relating to dusts, bonfires, smoke from chimneys, or odour from industrial premises and farming.

"If it is found that a statutory nuisance is happening, an abatement notice may be served requiring action to be carried out to stop the nuisance."