THE North-East has a higher rate of hospital admissions due to primary diagnosis of obesity than any other part of the country.

Figures released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show that in 2014/15 there were 70 admissions per 100,000 of population – way ahead of any other region – or 1,829 in total.

Across England there were 17 such admissions per 100,000 of population, 9,130 in total.

Sunderland had the highest rate of hospital admissions in this category of all English local authorities, 135 per 100,000 of population, 375 in total.

This may in part be down to the success of bariatric surgery procedures, such as gastric banding and gastric bypass surgery, performed at the city’s Sunderland Royal Hospital.

In 2008 the region's first dedicated weight management surgery unit was set up at the hospital seeing patients from across the North-East.

Other North-East local authority areas with high rates for admissions include South Tyneside (102 per 100,000), Durham (98 per 100,000) and Hartlepool (89 per 100,000). In contrast, the rate in North Yorkshire was 17 admissions per 100,000 of population.

There were 440,288 admissions to England's hospitals in 2014/15 where obesity was the main reason for a person being admitted or was a secondary factor.

This was the highest figure on record and is more than ten times higher than the 40,741 recorded in 2004/5.

The number of admissions for children aged under 16 also doubled – 3,357 compared with just 1,506 in 2004/05.

The HSCIC report revealed that in the general population the prevalence of obesity had increased from 15 per cent in 1993 to 26 per cent in 2014. In the North-East it was 31 per cent, higher than anywhere else.

Women underwent 76 per cent of bariatric surgery procedures performed by the NHS during 2014-15 and the majority of hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of obesity were also for female patients - 6,630, compared to 2,500 for men.

Campaigners said urgent action was needed and the Government needed to publish an obesity strategy without delay.

Catherine Parker, Public Health England North East obesity lead, said: “Our surroundings, what we see in the media, on our streets and in shops encourages us to consume too many calories and lead sedentary lifestyles.

“Being overweight or obese makes us more prone to serious illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. That is why it’s important to keep an eye on portion sizes, cut back on sugar and fat in our diet and be regularly active.”