More than a third of children overweight in Telford

The study found that 21.9 per cent were obese in the borough by the age of 11 and a further 15.4 per cent of youngsters were overweight.

That means that a total of 37.3 per cent weigh more than is considered healthy, according to experts.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre said there was a distinct difference between unhealthy Telford and the rest of Shropshire.

But there are still more than a quarter of 11-year-olds in other parts of the county who need to slim down.

The report said 10 per cent of youngsters in Shropshire were overweight by the age of 11, while a further 16.3 per cent were obese.

The study also found that youngsters were experiencing weight problems from the age of five, with 27.9 per cent of reception-class children in Telford & Wrekin and 25.9 per cent in Shropshire district being either overweight or obese.

This compares to a national average of 22.6 per cent.

In Herefordshire, 16.8 per cent of children were overweight or obese by the time they left primary school, compared to 18 per cent in Staffordshire and 18.5 per cent for Worcestershire.

Wolverhampton had the worst rate in the West Midlands, with 26.2 per cent of 11-year-olds being classified as obese.

Only Southwark in London has more with 26.4 per cent.

The figures were collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre as part of a nationwide study.

More than 58,000 children took part in the West Midlands alone.

Jane DeVille-Almond, who is a senior health lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton and also chairs the British Obesity Society, said: "We need to tug at the heartstrings of parents.

"We've got a generation of kids who haven't watched their parents cook meals or families sit down to eat together.

"That needs to change."

Shropshire GP Dr Mary McCarthy said obesity was a serious problem in children as it inevitably led to health problems in later life.

But she said the figures warranted further investigation and the causes of the problem tackled.

The GP added: "Obesity is linked with deprivation, not just socio-economic causes, but the sort of food that people in the area tend to buy.

"People on restricted incomes tend to buy the food that is sweet and sugary.

"The figures certainly want looking at."