1/3 of children leaving primary school are overweight

A third of children leaving primary school in some areas of the country are overweight, the Daily Mail reports. The latest figures are part of a nationwide survey of children's weight commissioned by the Departnent of Health.

Ten primary care trusts have released their results under the Freedom of Information Act. These show that on average a quarter of children are already obese or overweight when they start school at the age of five. In some areas the figure rises to a third by the tiume pupils enter secondary school at 11.

Worryingly, although both figures are up on previous years, experts have warned they could still be underestimating the problem as the parents of heavier children are less likely to agree to have them weighed.