Medway’s efforts to tackle obesity in children suffered a blow with figures showing a third of 10-year-olds are overweight or obese.

More than 3,000 children aged four and five in Reception Year and almost 4,000 children aged 10 to 11 in Year 6 were measured and placed into one of four categories: underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese.

The figures show pupils getting fatter as they move through primary school with just over a fifth tipping the scales over the healthy range when they start school.

Overall, however, the statistics mirror the national average and only around 1% of Medway’s children are underweight.

In Year 6 a third of children are overweight or obese and this is unchanged from last year.

In reception 21.9% of reception age children in Medway were overweight and obese, slightly better than 23.2% last time.

On what is National Obesity Awareness Week, a report from the National Obesity Forum announced that tackling obesity must be a priority of the government and local authorities across all parties.

Following the success of the Obesity Summit held in Gillingham last year, which saw more than a dozen key players from health, care, sports, education and food sectors brainstorm to come up with ways people in Medway can battle the bulge, another meeting will be held later this month.

Cllr David Brake (Con) who is in charge of public health on Medway council said: “The meeting is to allow people to review how things are working at the moment and how we can push things forward. “There is so much going on to encourage people down a healthier route but it is a large task and will take many years for people to change their lifestyle.

“What works for one, doesn’t work for all.

“But the goal is to see the numbers of people with heart problems and diabetes go down. Not only should people’s health increase, but also the health of the economy.”

It November it was revealed that obesity has the second largest impact on public health in the UK after smoking and cost the UK around £45bn in 2012.

In the last budget Medway Council set aside £750,000 for the sporting legacy and leisure concessions, compared to £400,000 the year before.