OBESITY is reaching crisis point says a charity that has released new figures revealing thousands of schoolchildren across the region are overweight.

The statistics, released by Cancer Research UK, show that around 2,900 North-East children who start primary school at a healthy weight end up obese or overweight by the time they leave.

In Yorkshire and Humber, the figure is around 5,800.

These worrying statistics add to the fact that one in five Yorkshire pupils and one in four in the North-East are already overweight or obese when they start primary school.

And by the time they leave, that figure rises to more than one in three.

To highlight the high level of children’s obesity, Cancer Research UK has transformed a store front into an XL school uniform ‘shop’ window to show the new norm of larger school uniforms.

Photographs of mannequins wearing the XL school uniforms have been released as part of the charity’s Junk Free TV campaign, after the charity says the Government reneged on its commitment to publish a robust strategy to tackle the crisis of children’s obesity.

The plan, published last month, failed to contain any commitments to protect children from junk food marketing or vital mandatory targets to reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt in food.

Cancer Research UK is now urging people across the region to email their MP to raise the issue with Prime Minster Theresa May.

Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the region, said: “The figures and images released today highlight the urgent need to help protect the health of the region’s youngsters.

“The Government has failed to do so.

“Obese children are around five times more likely to grow into obese adults, and obese adults are more likely to develop cancer and other diseases.

“There are lots of factors working against families when it comes to helping children make healthy choices – including children being bombarded with junk food advertising.

“That’s why we need people to email their MPs and demand robust action to help give our children the best possible chance of a healthy future.”

Being overweight or obese is the single biggest cause of preventable cancer in the UK after smoking and contributes to 18,100 cases of the disease annually.

It is linked to ten types of cancer and Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK’s director of prevention, said:: “Around 2,900 youngsters will become overweight or obese during primary school each year in the North East, and the Government had a chance to prevent this.

“The childhood obesity plan is simply not up to the task of tackling children’s obesity. “Instead, the next generation faces a future of ill health, shortened lives, and an overstretched NHS.”