A fifth of 10 to 11-year-olds in Oxford are obese or severely obese, new figures have revealed. 

The professor in charge of children's health in England called obesity a "ticking time bomb", but warned the NHS cannot solve the problem alone.

Statistics from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show there were around 285 obese or severely obese year six children in Oxford in the last academic year, accounting for 21.3 per cent of the cohort.

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This was down from a year earlier, when 22.2 per cent of year six children were obese.

Despite the recent improvement in childhood obesity, the national rate remains higher than before the pandemic, when the rate jumped to 25.5 per cent.

The data is from the government’s national child measurement programme, which covers mainstream state-maintained schools in England.

The figures revealed children from the most deprived areas are twice as likely to be living with obesity than those from the least deprived areas.

The Local Government Association said cash raised from the soft drinks sugar tax, totalling £1.9 billion since its introduction in 2018, should be targeted at areas with higher levels of deprivation and wants the tax extended to include more products.

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Dr Helen Stewart, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "This is a longstanding health inequality that successive governments have failed to tackle.

"Progress on childhood obesity cannot be achieved without also addressing our out-of-control rates of childhood poverty and deprivation."

In Oxford, 4.9 per cent of year six children were considered severely obese.

Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s national clinical director for children and young people, said: "Obesity can have a major impact on a child’s life – it affects every organ in the body and is effectively a ticking health time bomb for the future.

"But the NHS cannot solve this alone and continued action from industry, local and national government, and wider society together is essential to help create a healthy nation."

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This government inherited an obesity crisis which is costing the NHS and the economy billions of pounds.

"We are committed to tackling this issue head on, shifting our focus from treatment to prevention as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.

"We have already made a strong start by restricting junk food advertising on TV and online, limiting school children's access to fast food, and confirming that we will take steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit for purpose."

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