New NHS figures show that there were more than a million hospital admissions for obesity-related treatment in England in the year leading into the global pandemic.

The figures, published by NHS Digital, show a 17 per cent increase in hospital admissions where obesity was a factor, compared with the year before. Experts are arguing that the data should be a wake-up call for tackling obesity.

The 17 per cent amounts to almost 150,000 more instances of people being admitted to hospital over the course of a year.

Being overweight is one of the most significant risk factors for severe Covid.