Suicide is no longer the biggest killer of middle-aged men, new data has revealed, as deaths caused by drug overdoses have eclipsed them for the first time.

Suicide was previously the leading cause of death for males aged 35 to 49.

However, figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that men in this age group are now more likely to be killed by drug overdoses or accidental poisonings, amid concerns from public health experts of a looming opiate crisis.

This marks the first time that accidental poisoning has overtaken suicide - which is now the second-leading cause of death - as the biggest killer of middle-aged men. Suicide was previously the leading cause of death for males in this age group for the past three years running.

In 2018 there were 1,336 deaths attributed to accidental poisoning in men aged 35 to 49. This accounted for 12.5 per cent of deaths for men in this age group, up from 10.9 per cent in 2017.