ONE in three adults in Thurrock is considered obese, a shocking new fat map of the UK has revealed.

The figures were shown in a new interactive obesity map published by researchers at online pharmacy website allcures.com.

The latest figures show 30 per cent of the population in Thurrock classified as obese, topping the national average of 24 per cent, or one in four.

Thurrock also made the top 20 most obese areas in the UK, at number 20. The map was based on data taken from the most recent Public Health England report.

The Western Isles came out heaviest in the UK at 38 per cent whilst London boroughs came in ‘thinnest’, with Richmond-upon-Thames at just 12 per cent.

Under NHS guidelines, a person is considered to be obese if they have a BMI of 30 to 39.9 and severely obese if their BMI is above 40.

Kim James for Healthwatch, a Thurrock residents’ advocacy group, said the latest data is “worrying.”

She said: “We all know that obesity can lead to long term health conditions like diabetes, but the council also offers weight management projects and there are still spaces not being filled.

“The worry is that because they are free people think they are not very good, which is wrong on both counts.”

Exercise referral specialist Lee Appleton, who runs the Aveley and South Ockendon Fit Club, said the problem was “scary”.

He said: “It’s one of the biggest things at work we are dealing with, across all ages. Every time someone comes to the gym it’s for weight loss. What we are seeing is 90 per cent down to lifestyle, only 5-10 per cent are a genetic issue. People are not taking care of what they are eating. We do lots of activities, from fit clubs to nutrition evenings.”

Mandy Ansell, of NHS Thurrock CCG, said they were working on “better understanding” reasons for weight gain as well as offering weight loss programmes, with a particular focus on diabetes.

The Gazette reported last year about obesity in children across Thurrock with one in four between ages 10 and 11 reported as obese, a figure which has not changed according to the latest report.

A spokesman for Thurrock Council said: “Thurrock is statistically in-line with a national increasing trend in obesity prevalence and last year. Thurrock commissioned a range of services to support people in achieving a healthy lifestyle.

“These include a specialist psychological course on our relationship with food, nutritional advice, chair based exercises for those less mobile as well as various physical activity programmes."

Details can be found by visiting: thurrock.gov.uk/active.

The interactive map can be found at: http://allcures.com/interactive-map/