ACTION is set to be taken to limit the number of takeaways in areas “saturated” with fast food outlets, as part of a concerted drive to tackle childhood obesity.

Darlington’s director of public health is set to intervene in licensing applications after a link was established between the density of takeaways in an area and the weight of children living there.

A meeting of Darlington Borough Council’s health and wellbeing board heard its five-year childhood obesity action plan would tackle environmental, physical and other determinants which make choosing to eat a healthy balanced diet and having a physically active lifestyle an easier option.

An officers report to the board states: “Although the main causes of obesity are poor diet and low levels of physical activity, it has been shown that environmental changes can have the most impact on reducing obesity.

“School children make purchases from a variety of food outlets in the school fringe at lunchtime, and during their journeys to and from school. Popular purchases include confectionery, sugar sweetened drinks, and hot food takeaways. Many outlets have price promotions on these items particularly targeted at children.”

Last month, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health urged the government to ban fast food outlets from opening within 400 metres of schools as part of its childhood obesity strategy set to be published this summer.

The latest government figures show while wards such as Pierremont and Park East have 27.5 per cent and 23.9 per cent of children classed as obese, those areas also have a total of 50 takeaways.

Mowden and Heighington and Coniscliffe wards, which have childhood obesity rates of 12.8 per cent and 14 per cent, have just three of the town’s 124 takeaways.

Board member and Park East councillor Cyndi Hughes said her ward had reached “saturation point” and welcomed the public health director’s intervention.

She said she hoped the director would also make statements on planning applications to change the use of premises into hot food outlets. Cllr Hughes, who moved to England from the US 30 years ago, said: “When I first came here people were a lot slimmer than they were in America.”

Public health principal Ken Ross told the meeting the drive would also see the town’s environment used to increase activity levels.

He said: “One of the assets that we have is the excellent green spaces in Darlington. Nobody is very far away from them and we have good transport links and a good cycle network, so people can actually reach those areas.”