CHILD obesity is a “ticking timebomb” that needs to be tackled urgently, doctors believe.

The number of obese children has doubled since 1982, and now affects one in ten six-year-olds. Teenagers are increasingly at risk, with obesity trebling among 15-year-olds over the past ten years.

Doctors believe that if the situation goes unchecked, Britain’s average life expectancy will decline and many obese children will face chronic conditions in later life. The explosion in the number of obese children has also led to the appearance of Type II diabetes in young people for the first time. The condition is linked to diet and used to affect only adults.

The problem is thought to be due to lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Fewer than one in ten seven-year-olds walk to school and only one in four children play sport regularly, according to Sport England.

Forty-eight per cent of schools now have vending machines, largely selling sweets and crisps. Fast-food manufacturers often directly target children. Last year, McDonald’s spent £32.5 million on television advertisements, while Coca-Cola spent £13 million and Pringles £7 million.

Manufacturers of children’s clothes have been forced to respond to their expanding girths. The average 11-year-old girl now has a waistline that is 2in bigger than that of the typical adult woman 60 years ago.Boys also require larger sizes. The biggest collar size in John Lewis’s shirt range for boys was 14in in 1954; today it is 17in.

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