HEALTH experts are being urged to block any more takeaways from opening in Worcestershire - and get water fountains placed in all parks in a radical bid to tackle childhood obesity.

Worcestershire County Council is being challenged to intervene on the scourge of unhealthy children by taking harsher steps.

County Hall's Labour group leader, Councillor Peter McDonald, says the senior director in charge of health, the £112,000-a-year Dr Richard Harling, should object to planning applications on new takeaways across the county and use his influence to lobby for them to be refused.

The veteran politician also says if all parks had water fountains, paid for by the taxpayer, it would discourage children from buying fizzy drinks in shops on the way home or at weekends.

He said: "It's been no secret that fast food contributes to obesity, yet (Dr Harling) has never commented on them when planning applications go in.

"I see them next to schools, next to parks and there's never an objection from the department (of adult services and health at the county council).

"If we had water fountains in parks children wouldn't go to the shops for a bottle of pop, but we don't get that either, we just get these health reports stuffed with jargon."

Speaking during a meeting of the overview, scrutiny and performance board he said Dr Harling's adult services and health directorate had "failed" to come up with enough radical ideas.

But Dr Harling said: "I disagree with that, I can give you examples of lots of really good things that are going on across the county.

"When we receive planning applications we do comment on them, but it's quite difficult in planning law at the moment to take these things into account."

Dr Harling also said he felt schools also had an onus to do more to tackle childhood obesity.

"If you wanted to promote the idea of water fountains in your local parks I'd be happy to support that, but I think ideas like this come so much better from a local community rather than a diktat from County Hall," he said.

He also said councillors, many of whom are school governors, should raise the idea of park water fountains with headteachers.

"In terms of us telling schools what to do, I don't think that's the prevailing model any more, I don't think it works," he said.

"In fact it's more likely to be counter-productive."

During the debate the board, a watchdog-style panel at County Hall, were handed a report about health inequalities in Worcestershire, showing how in some of the poorest parts of Worcester 37 per cent of children were in poverty.

Councillor Richard Udall, the chairman, said: “37 per cent of children in parts of this county in poverty? It’s a scandal that in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, in one of its wealthiest pockets, so many children are born in poverty, live in poverty and will likely die in it.”

Dr Harling said the poverty scale “a relative one rather than an absolute one”, saying it cannot be compared to third world countries, for example.

During a later debate about children’s eating habits, Cllr Udall said: “I can remember over 10 years ago having a discussion with a very passionate headteacher, who said ‘you can put all the resources into schools that you like, but it’s all undermined if your child goes to school hungry’.”

Dr Harling said he agreed that there are “strong links between nutrition and school performance”.