ALMOST a third of Worcester children leave primary school overweight or obese but the proportion of fat youngsters is falling, the latest figures show.

Figures supplied by the Government’s National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England for the 2014-15 school year show that 32.4 per cent of year six pupils aged 10 to 11 in Worcester were either overweight or obese (based on the postcode of the child’s school).

Despite this shocking figure Worcester children still weighs in lower than other parts of Worcestershire. Wyre Forest which includes Kidderminster and Stourport is the fat capital of Worcestershire where 34.4 per cent of year six pupils were overweight or obese.

Pupils in Malvern were relatively trim with 28 per cent overweight or obese as were pupils in Bromsgrove (27.7 per cent), both below the national average.

Worcester is similar to the England average where around a third (33.2 per cent ) of the children measured were either overweight or obese. This was lower than 2013/14 (33.5 per cent ) but higher than in 2006/07 (31.6 per cent ).

Obesity data for children (year six, discounting children who are merely ‘overweight’) shows that levels are falling in Worcestershire as a whole, in Worcester and Bromsgrove but climbing in Malvern Hills, Redditch, Wychavon and Wyre Forest.

In total 18 per cent of Worcester children (based on the child’s postcode of residence) were classified as obese in 2014/15 (compared to 19.2 in 2013/14), 21.7 for Wyre Forest (compared to 20.8 per cent in 2013/14), 17.2 for Wychavon (compared to 15.4 per cent in 2013/14) and 17.5 per cent for Malvern Hills (compared to 17.1 per cent for 2013/14) and 17.9 for the county as a whole (compared to 18.4 per cent for 2013/14).

The figures have led the British Heart Foundation to call for a ban on all junk food TV advertising before 9pm, as part of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Strategy, to help improve children’s health.

Analysis by the BHF shows that weak regulations are creating loopholes that mean that food companies can advertise junk food - high in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt - during programmes watched by children in Worcester.

The BHF says 13 junk food adverts were shown during just one X Factor show last year, promoting unhealthy snacks such as crisps, chocolate bars and pizzas to the children watching before 9pm.

Current regulations mean that foods high in fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar are banned from being advertised during children’s programming.

But the latest Ofcom figures show that two-thirds (65 per cent) of children watch TV during what is considered adult airtime. Peak viewing for children is between 7 and 8pm when up to 1.8 million children are glued to their TV screens.

Mike Hobday, Director of Policy at the BHF, said: “It’s worrying that so many children in Worcester are obese or overweight. Carrying excess weight into adulthood increases the risk of developing heart disease in later life.

“We mustn’t allow food companies to continue to exploit a failing regulatory system that allows them to bombard TV screens with junk food adverts at the times when the highest numbers of children are watching TV.

"We need to protect young people against the sophisticated marketing techniques of junk food advertisers to help tackle the obesity crisis which threatens the heart health of future generations.”