The National Health Service (NHS), in its bid to tackle Britain’s growing obesity crisis is launching weight loss clubs for four year olds, which are already operating in northern England and will now be rolled out nation-wide.

Just last week, official figures showed a quarter of five year olds to be over-weight, with experts warning most of them would grow up into obese adults.

Many parents, doctors fear dismiss childhood obesity as ‘puppy fat’, however, Paul Gately, Professor of Exercise and Obesity at Leeds Metropolitan University said: ‘Puppy fat is no longer relevant to our children. They just don’t grow out of it any more.’

The weight-loss classes run by the not-for-profit Carnegie Group, will teach entire families about healthy eating and exercise. To be held on weekends, they are already operating in Yorkshire, Tyneside and Blackpool, Lancashire, and will be launched in Peterborough and Hertfordshire next month, before going nationwide.

According to Prof. Gately, obese does not mean massive, if one can pinch over an inch of fat, it means you are in trouble, and with half of overweight five-year-olds bound to grow up into obese adults, the weight-losses classes are necessary for getting families exercising together.

One does not have to run marathons, just a walk around a museum or swimming on a Saturday morning, all count as exercise.

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer warns the epidemic of obesity is wiping out all health benefits created by the smoking ban, with over-weight people putting a big strain on hospital beds.

Probably, a ban should be imposed on eating in pubs, which will force the obese to take their plates and join the smokers outside.