MORE than 103,000 pupils in the region will receive free fruit at school from today as part of a Government drive to increase healthy eating.

A total of 92,000 children aged between four and six in County Durham, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Tyneside, Wearside and Redcar and Cleveland start tucking into fruit today.

They will be joined on April 26 by another 11,000 pupils in Darlington and Northumberland in the same age group.

The main aim of the exercise, which has involved delivering tons of bananas to schools up and down the region, is to combat poor diet.

The North-East has the highest rates of obesity in England (19.3 per cent of the population) combined with the lowest consumption of five portions of fruit and vegetables in the country (19 per cent).

One of the first North-East schools to receive a daily piece of fruit for every child between four and six is Burnopfield Primary School, County Durham, which has won healthy eating awards in the past.

Deputy headteacher, Marie Scott, said: "I think it is really good. It fits in with our healthy eating policy. We have encouraged children to bring in healthy snacks, including fruit. This means that everybody will now have fruit."

Mrs Scott said the distribution of free fruit, which will include apples, oranges and bananas, was extremely well organised.

Youngsters would have their fruit before the morning break, she added.

The £42m free fruit scheme is funded by the biggest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, the New Opportunities Fund.

Evidence suggests that eating fruit and vegetables helps reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Dr Bill Kirkup, regional director for public health, said if more children ate fruit it would be "a major step in reducing the chronically high levels of ill-health which blight our region".