BOLTON is doing all it can to tackle weight problems, the council says after new figures revealed childhood obesity is at record levels.

Health campaigners have said the Government must try harder to curb the growing problems.

Recent figures have shown that more than 600 children and young people under 25 were treated for type two diabetes in 2015/16 – nearly 80 per cent of whom were obese.

In May, The Bolton News reported that the number of four-year-olds who are obese in the town had risen sharply and one in five 11-year-olds are grossly fat, alarming new figures show.

Around one in 10 children are obese when they start school and almost 2,400 are overweight — 20 per cent of the total.

In year six, 2,058 10 to 11-year-olds were obese last year and a further 34.4 per cent were overweight.

Deputy Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Linda Thomas, said childhood obesity is a national problem and one proving difficult to combat.

She said: "Today’s obese children will become tomorrow’s obese adults and local authorities throughout the UK are more than aware of the consequences on health and social care budgets if people continue to develop serious health conditions such as diabetes and heart conditions, which are often linked with being overweight and inactive.

"Locally, we are doing all we can to tackle the problem and we are facing additional pressures due to cuts to public health budgets.

"That said, we have developed a number of initiatives together with our partner organisations that are aimed at raising the awareness of the risk of obesity and also at trying to reducing its prevalence."

Initiatives include encouraging families to make healthier choices such as breast feeding and joining healthy toddler clubs, providing subsidised, nutritionally balanced school meals, and helping to fund and develop free breakfast clubs in schools.

Schools also deliver the Healthy Schools Initiative which encourages healthy eating.

Cllr Thomas added: "We recognise that food choices alone cannot alleviate the problem and we would encourage families to take part in some form of activity.

"It really doesn’t need to be marathon running or Ironman training! Rather, something they can easily fit into their busy schedules, such as walking."