With the glorious Lake District at its heart, you’d expect the locals in Cumbria to be a pretty fit bunch. However, the county has just waddled away with the title of England’s fattest. Sixty-eight per cent of its residents are either overweight or obese – so fat that it threatens their health. Map below shows the top 10 fattest areas of the country - rated by the % of people with a BMI of more than the 'healthy' maximum of 25 . Fat England: Alarming new figures show 64 per cent of people are overweight or obese - raising their risk of an early death. Map shows the top 10 fattest local authority areas of the country, according to BMI . Thin capital: The London local authorities pictured had the lowest levels of obesity in all of England, according to the figures . Not only that, but the Cumbrian . district of Copeland has the fattest of the fat, with an astonishing . 75.9 per cent pushing the bathroom scales past tipping point. The . figures are contained in data, issued for the first time, which reveals . the fattest and thinnest parts of England and the scale of the obesity . crisis. Overall, 63.8 per cent of adults in England are overweight or obese. North East (68% are overweight or obese) North West 66% . West Midlands 65.7% . East Midlands 65.6% . Yorkshire and the Humber 65.4% . East of England 65.1% . South East 63.1% . South West 62.7% . London 57.3% . Chasing . Copeland for the title of the worst area are Doncaster, on 74.4 per . cent, and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire, on 73.8 per cent. After . Cumbria, the fattest counties are North Yorkshire and Staffordshire, . both on 67.9 per cent. The fattest region is the North-East, where 68 . per cent are overweight or obese, followed by the West Midlands at 65.7 . per cent. The slimmest . English residents live in the wealthy London borough of Kensington and . Chelsea, where only 45.9 per cent are overweight or obese. The London . boroughs of Tower Hamlets (47.2 per cent) and Richmond upon Thames (47.6 . per cent) are close behind. Obesity . is measured using the body mass index (BMI) score which is calculated . by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by their height in metres . squared. Anything under 25 is fine. BMI of 25 to 29.9 is classified as . overweight and clinical obesity is defined as 30 or greater. Obesity crisis: Copeland in Cumbria (pictured) is the fattest local authority area in England, alarming new figures have revealed . Tam . Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘The figure of 64 per cent . for the country is bad enough but when figures rise to around 80 per . cent for some local areas one has to believe that the problem may be . insurmountable. The projection that 50 per cent of the country could be . obese before 2050 could unfortunately come to pass unless really radical . steps are taken now by central government to tackle the problem.’ Joseph . Clift, of the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Put simply, too many . people weigh too much. This should be a catalyst for action at a local . and national level.’ Obesity . costs the NHS £5.1billion a year, according to the National Audit . Office. The total cost to the economy of being overweight or obese has . been put at some £16billion in 2007, rising to £50billion a year by 2050 . if left unchecked. Back in . Cumbria, Copeland Borough Council’s Gillian Troughton said: ‘We . recognise that obesity is a national problem, and one which affects . Copeland. ‘One big example . of how we are tackling it is that we are investing in protecting our . leisure facilities at a time of Government cuts, and continuing to offer . those in receipt of benefits discounted access to the range of . facilities we provide, which will soon include a new gym facility.’
New data reveals how the obesity crisis affects different areas of the country .
Areas in the North are worst affected, according to official figues .
London and the South West have the thinnest people in terms of BMI .
With the glorious Lake District at its heart, you’d expect the locals in Cumbria to be a pretty fit bunch. However, the county has just waddled away with the title of England’s fattest. Sixty-eight per cent of its residents are either overweight or obese – so fat that it threatens their health. Map below shows the top 10 fattest areas of the country - rated by the % of people with a BMI of more than the 'healthy' maximum of 25 . Fat England: Alarming new figures show 64 per cent of people are overweight or obese - raising their risk of an early death. Map shows the top 10 fattest local authority areas of the country, according to BMI . Thin capital: The London local authorities pictured had the lowest levels of obesity in all of England, according to the figures . Not only that, but the Cumbrian . district of Copeland has the fattest of the fat, with an astonishing . 75.9 per cent pushing the bathroom scales past tipping point. The . figures are contained in data, issued for the first time, which reveals . the fattest and thinnest parts of England and the scale of the obesity . crisis. Overall, 63.8 per cent of adults in England are overweight or obese. North East (68% are overweight or obese) North West 66% . West Midlands 65.7% . East Midlands 65.6% . Yorkshire and the Humber 65.4% . East of England 65.1% . South East 63.1% . South West 62.7% . London 57.3% . Chasing . Copeland for the title of the worst area are Doncaster, on 74.4 per . cent, and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire, on 73.8 per cent. After . Cumbria, the fattest counties are North Yorkshire and Staffordshire, . both on 67.9 per cent. The fattest region is the North-East, where 68 . per cent are overweight or obese, followed by the West Midlands at 65.7 . per cent. The slimmest . English residents live in the wealthy London borough of Kensington and . Chelsea, where only 45.9 per cent are overweight or obese. The London . boroughs of Tower Hamlets (47.2 per cent) and Richmond upon Thames (47.6 . per cent) are close behind. Obesity . is measured using the body mass index (BMI) score which is calculated . by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by their height in metres . squared. Anything under 25 is fine. BMI of 25 to 29.9 is classified as . overweight and clinical obesity is defined as 30 or greater. Obesity crisis: Copeland in Cumbria (pictured) is the fattest local authority area in England, alarming new figures have revealed . Tam . Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘The figure of 64 per cent . for the country is bad enough but when figures rise to around 80 per . cent for some local areas one has to believe that the problem may be . insurmountable. The projection that 50 per cent of the country could be . obese before 2050 could unfortunately come to pass unless really radical . steps are taken now by central government to tackle the problem.’ Joseph . Clift, of the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Put simply, too many . people weigh too much. This should be a catalyst for action at a local . and national level.’ Obesity . costs the NHS £5.1billion a year, according to the National Audit . Office. The total cost to the economy of being overweight or obese has . been put at some £16billion in 2007, rising to £50billion a year by 2050 . if left unchecked. Back in . Cumbria, Copeland Borough Council’s Gillian Troughton said: ‘We . recognise that obesity is a national problem, and one which affects . Copeland. ‘One big example . of how we are tackling it is that we are investing in protecting our . leisure facilities at a time of Government cuts, and continuing to offer . those in receipt of benefits discounted access to the range of . facilities we provide, which will soon include a new gym facility.’
areas of the country - rated by the % of people levels of obesity in all of England, according to which reveals . the fattest and thinnest parts of England and the scale of the obesity . crisis. South East 63.1% . South West 62.7% . London After . Cumbria, the fattest counties are North