THE NHS has warned that childhood obesity in Basingstoke is a "ticking time bomb" as new figures show that one in six children aged 10 to 11 are obese or severely obese.

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.

New figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show there were around 360 obese or severely obese year 6 children in Basingstoke and Deane in the last academic year, accounting for 17.8 per cent of the whole cohort.

This was down from last year when 20 per cent of year 6 children were obese.

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Across England, 22.1 per cent of year 6 children were obese last year – down from 22.7 per cent in 2022-23.

Despite the recent improvement in childhood obesity, the national rate remains higher than before the pandemic.

In 2020-21, 25.5 per cent of children were classed as obese, up sharply from 21 per cent in 2019-20.

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

The figures also show persistent inequalities exist, with children from the most deprived areas 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 should be targeted at areas with higher levels of deprivation, child obesity and tooth decay.

It said the tax has raised £1.9 billion since it was introduced in 2018, "yet councils are increasingly concerned about where the money is being spent".

It also wants the tax extended to include milk-based drinks, such as milkshakes, high-sugar coffees, and other high-sugar items like cakes, biscuits and chocolate.

Dr Helen Stewart, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the inequality across the country was "impossible to ignore".

She added: "This is a long-standing health inequality that successive governments have failed to tackle.

"It is clear to paediatricians that progress on childhood obesity cannot be achieved without also addressing our out-of-control rates of childhood poverty and deprivation."

Dr Stewart urged the Government to expand free school meals and scrap the two-child limit to benefit payments to lift more children out of poverty.

In Basingstoke and Deane, 4.7 per cent of year 6 children were also 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 by increasing a child’s risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, mental health issues and many other illnesses.

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