ONE of the county's leading health professionals has called on the government to do more to tackle childhood obesity.

Furness GP, Dr Arabella Onslow, who lost an incredible seven stone in 12 months, believes that obesity in children is still a huge problem across the country and that the government needs to introduce laws to tackle the issue.

She said: "There is no question that obesity as a whole is a big issue everywhere, and it is no worse in Cumbria than it is anywhere else in the country.

"The introduction of the sugar tax is a great start but they need to look into banning TV adverts for takeaway food and changing where you buy certain foods in supermarkets because, at the moment, it is easier and cheaper to eat food that isn't healthy."

Prime minister Theresa May's new plan to solve childhood obesity largely revolves around the introduction of the sugar tax, which is due to arrive in 2018 and could see the price of a two-litre bottle of Coke rise by 48p.

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Mrs May also wants to encourage more exercise in schools by making pupils do half an hour of physical education and "active play" every day.

However, Dr Onslow thinks that advancements in technology have made a lot of us desk-bound and is adamant that there needs to be a revolutionary change in our lifestyles to tackle obesity.

She said: "We need to create a better living environment and that requires more than telling people to eat differently. The whole of modern life is geared around office jobs and we need to have a better work-life balance.

"We have invested money into making our lives more convenient by sitting around and doing nothing and this whole narrative of convenience and making things easier is just making us sit down more."

The UK has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe with one in three children overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.

The British Medical Association has blamed the government for not doing enough to combat this worrying statistic and has called on Mrs May to do more to tackle childhood obesity.

A spokesman said: "Poor diet has become a feature of our children’s lives, with junk food more readily available, and food manufacturers bombarding children with their marketing every day for food and drinks that are extremely bad for their health.

"The government must act now and take urgent action to address the ticking time-bomb that obesity poses to children and the NHS."

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