The UK has experienced the biggest slowdown in increased life expectancy across major nations, official data suggests.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show Britain is bottom of a league table of 20 leading countries when it comes to improvements in mortality for pensioners.

Experts said that while some slow down was evident in a number of countries across Europe, North America, and Australia, the trends in the UK were particularly steep.

The ONS report highlights a “sharp increase” in UK deaths in 2015 and warns of worsening mortality rates in some parts of the UK.

Public health experts have blamed failings in care of the elderly and cuts to social services.

Charities described the findings as “deeply depressing,” with calls for extra investment into Britain’s care system.

The figures show that between 2011 and 2016, average life expectancy for women aged 65 and over increased by just one week per year in the UK. In the previous six years, it had increased by ten weeks annually.