Health bosses today warned the implications for a generation of fat
children could be "phenomenally bad" – and cost the taxpayer millions.

Almost 20 per cent of Year Six pupils (11 and 12 year-olds) in Blackpool
are clinically obese. Another 11.4 per cent are rated as overweight.

The picture is just as worrying for children just starting at school.

Thirteen per cent of Blackpool children aged four and five are overweight – 9.7 per cent are obese.

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said a two-pronged attack
was needed – both to prevent more children from becoming overweight
and to help obese children lose weight.

He said: "It's been a slow fuse burning for the last 20 to 25 years
and now the bomb has gone off.

"We are left picking up the pieces and it is a huge problem.

"The figures for Blackpool are too high.

We need to start in pre-school years, even right at conception. We
have many women getting pregnant who are overweight or obese.

"Blackpool has poor breast-feeding rates, which contributes."

Experts are calling for action to focus on prevention from an early
age, as well as helping those already overweight.

Over-eating and lack of physical activity are blamed for the generation
of heavy youngsters.

* For full story, see tonight's Gazette