SHOCK figures show Dudley is among the heavyweights of the West Midlands as the fatest borough in the region.

A survey by Public Health England (PHE) shows the capital of the Black Country weighs-in with a gut-busting 70 per cent of the population being overweight or obese.

Only Telford and Wrekin matches Dudley for blubber and the West Midlands’ percentage of 65.7 is higher than the English average of 63.8 per cent.

Dr Lola Abudu, public health consultant with the PHE West Midlands Health and Wellbeing team, said: “The West Midlands has the third highest percentage of adults overweight or obese in England, with the North East being the highest at 68 per cent and London having the lowest figure at 57 per cent.

"Within the West Midlands there is also a considerable variance among local authorities, with over 70 per cent of people in Telford and Wrekin and Dudley overweight or obese, compared to almost 57 per cent in Coventry.

“It is therefore vital that we continue to work with local authorities to help reduce this number and increase the health and wellbeing of people across the whole of the West Midlands region.”

A Dudley Council spokesperson said: “There are a number of programmes and services already in place to support people when they are trying to lose weight, including the park activity centres and GP referrals to clubs such as weight watchers and slimming world.”

The authority’s strategy for tackling obesity, which was published last year, highlights the north of the borough as having significantly higher obesity rates and provides further sobering food for thought.

Statistics in the document say people who are morbidly obese have a reduced life expectancy of eight to ten years - equivalent to a lifetime of smoking.