THE number of obese people calling on the fire service to remove them from buildings has seen a dramatic increase over the last three years.

New figures from Cumbria County Council have revealed that 18 people this year have had to be rescued by the fire service.

This number has increased from 14 in 2014 and 15 in 2015.

Firefighters are called upon to use specific lifting equipment and special slings, while windows, walls and interior fittings have to be removed to help remove people from buildings.

These figures are in-line with national statistics obtained by BBC Radio 5 Live, which show that firefighters across the UK were called out to 900 incidents this year.

The number of cases rose from 709 in 2012-13 to 944 in 2015-16.

These are said to have included several incidents when firefighters have been asked to help remove a deceased obese person to an undertakers' vehicle.

Tam Fry, spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, told the BBC that the problem is worsening because obese people are getting larger.

"This is not about more people being obese. This is about those who are already obese now getting to a size where they now need assistance.

"Senior doctors I speak to say there are many people who don't leave their homes so they don't even put themselves in a position where they may need to be rescued.

"They are scared of being seen in public."