The Covid-19 pandemic has been bad for our hearts and a leading Warrington cardiologist is encouraging people to get active again.

Dr Scott Murray is one of the founders of Warrington’s Venturi Cardiology and he believes the coronavirus has had an impact on our hearts in many ways with the stress caused by long delays in NHS waiting times and an increase in people leading a more laidback and exercise-free lifestyle being two of the biggest concerns.

Heart disease is not contagious in the same way Covid-19 has proven to be, but it can be just as deadly with heart and circulatory disease accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK, which equates to one death every three minutes.

Scott, who is a former president of the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR), said: “Covid-19 has not been good for our hearts for a number of reasons.

“The strain of the global coronavirus pandemic has put on NHS waiting times is reaching crisis point.

“Statistics show that 65 per cent of people in the UK have felt more stressed since the Covid restrictions began in March last year.

“Stress can lead to a rise in blood pressure and can increase your risk of heart disease.

“Being in lockdown for so long – and worried about going out – has also led to an increasing number of people having a more sedentary lifestyle.

“Those that have had Covid may feel too anxious or tired to start exercising again.”

He added: “The pandemic has also promoted a new way of thinking - stay at home and everything will be ok – and while this was necessary for a period of time, it is important that we get back outdoors to an active lifestyle.”

In June, the north west’s first independent healthy heart clinic will open in Birchwood with a state-of-the-art heart screening clinic ensuring world class heart care is accessible, affordable and more personalised with a fast track connection with expert consultants.

The new clinic will operate independently but will collaborate with the NHS to offer its services through GPs and hospitals with doctors being able to refer patients with cardiac risk or symptoms to their centre.

Scott said: “The impact of long Covid is still unknown but approximately one in ten of us continue to experience symptoms attributed to Covid-19 beyond 12 weeks.

“If any of these factors resonate with you or perhaps you have a family history of heart disease, then you may have been unwittingly increasing your cardiovascular risk and it might be time to think about putting some new habits in place.”

Every year, 44,000 people under the age of 75 will die from heart disease and the north west has one of the highest rates in the country.

Scott recommends avoiding comfort foods such as processed carbohydrates and fats as well as salt and sugar and trying to do something active every day.

He suggests having alcohol-free days and turning emails and social media off as much as you can and his final top tips for a healthy heart include avoiding snacking on sweets or junk food and feeding your gut with fibre-rich foods which can lower cholesterol and blood pressure.