A North-East health expert has urged the Government to show more leadership in the battle against obesity.

Professor David Hunter, an expert in health policy and management at Durham University, challenged Labour to take a more hands-on approach to the increasingly serious obesity epidemic.

Speaking at an international conference on obesity at Teesside University, Prof Hunter cast doubt on whether Government policies would have any impact on the growing public health crisis and condemned the NHS shake-up as a distraction.

His comments coincided with the release of figures based on a survey of 11-year-olds in ten Middlesbrough junior schools.

The survey revealed that 34 per cent - more than one in three - were considered to be overweight and 19 per cent - almost one in five -were clinically obese.

Professor Peter Kelly, director of public health with Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust, said: "If you extrapolate these figures, it could mean there are 30,000 overweight and 17,000 obese children in Middlesbrough."

Instead of emphasising individual choice and pursuing a more market-oriented line, Prof Hunter said the Government should acknowledge its stewardship of the nation's health.

He pointed to the success in Scotland of introducing healthier school meals, while Government in London still struggled to respond to criticism by chef Jamie Oliver.

Prof Hunter said it beggared belief that the Government had based its school meals policy on a handful of Channel 4 programmes.

* See tomorrow's health page for an in-depth report about the conference.