Parts of region shamed by their place in nation’s obesity table

Health experts have urged local authorities to take action after the England-wide data reveals for the first time the fattest and thinnest parts of the country with figures showing the region has higher levels than the national average with the problem particularly acute in areas such as Doncaster and Ryedale.

Overall, 63.8 per cent of adults in England are overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or over, but in Yorkshire and the Humber the figure is higher, at 65.4 per cent.

The fattest local authority area is Copeland in west Cumbria, where 75.9 per cent of people are overweight or obese. This is followed by Doncaster, where 74.4 per cent are overweight or obese, East Lindsey in Lincolnshire, where the figure is 73.8 per cent, Ryedale in North Yorkshire, where the figure is 73.7 per cent and 73.4 per cent in Sedgemoor in Somerset at 73.4 per cent.

Cumbria measures up as the area with the worst rates, with 68.3 per cent of people overweight or obese, followed by North Yorkshire and Staffordshire, both on 67.9 per cent. The thinnest local authorities include several in London, such as Kensington and Chelsea at 45.9 per cent and Richmond upon Thames at 47.6 per cent.

In Yorkshire and the Humber figures range from 58.4 per cent to 75.4 per cent. Doncaster comes top, followed by Barnsley where 70.5 per cent of adults are overweight or obese, while in York the figure is 58.4 per cent.

A spokeswoman for Public Health England Yorkshire and Humber Centre said it was not clear why some areas did better than others, with a number of factors including personal decisions and travel options coming into play.

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said: “The publication of these figures has to be welcomed because they will give local authorities a better chance of fighting obesity than did 15 years of tackling the epidemic from Westminster.

“County and town halls were handed the poisoned chalice of doing something about the epidemic only last April but were underfunded for the task. The overall figure of 64 per cent for the country is bad enough but when figures rise to around 80 per cent for some local areas, one has to believe that the problem may be insurmountable.

“The projection that 50 per cent of the country could be obese before 2050 could unfortunately come to pass unless really radical steps are taken now by central government to tackle the problem.”

Joseph Clift, policy manager at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Put simply, too many people weigh too much. This should be a catalyst for action at a local and national level. The Westminster government need to introduce consistent regulation for advertising unhealthy products on TV and online to stop food companies exploiting loopholes.

“Local authorities need to be designing towns and cities in ways which encourage people to be more active, whether that’s by walking or cycling. They also need to ensure everyone has access to high-quality green spaces where people can play sport or be active.”

Prof Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, which released the figures, said: “There is no silver bullet to reducing obesity; it is a complex issue that requires action at individual, family, local and national levels. We can all play our part in this by eating a healthy, balanced diet and being more active.”