Almost one in three South Gloucestershire children are finishing primary school obese or overweight.

NHS Digital figures show that 17 per cent of Year 6 pupils in South Gloucestershire in 2017-18 were obese, of which 3.5 per cent were severely obese.

Additionally, 14 per cent of Year 6 children were overweight meaning 31 per cent of South Gloucestershire's youngsters are unhealthily overweight when they finish primary school.

Across England, 4.2 per cent of 10 and 11-year-olds are severely obese, a record high.

Public health groups urged the Government to take further action to prevent youngsters consuming junk food and sugary drinks.

Caroline Cerny, of the Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of health charities, medical royal colleges and campaign groups, said 'we can do something about this'.

She explained: "The ever increasing number of children living with obesity is a clear reflection of the unhealthy wider environment that pushes us towards sugary and fatty food and drinks.

"We need to start with reducing the number of junk food adverts children see before a 9pm watershed, restrictions on junk food promotions in supermarkets and the food industry stepping up efforts to reduce sugar and fat."

Public health minister Steve Brine said: "Obesity is a problem that has been decades in the making – one that will take significant effort across government, schools, families and wider society to address.

"We cannot expect to see a reversal in trends overnight – but we have been clear that we are willing to do whatever it takes to keep children healthy and well in this country.

“We have already removed sugar from children’s diets through the sugar tax, which has funded vital school sports and breakfast programmes, and this summer we announced the second chapter of our childhood obesity strategy with a series of bold plans to halve child obesity by 2030."