The government’s new childhood obesity plan, which was unveiled last week, has been criticised by health experts as not going far enough to tackle society’s growing problem with the issue.

The plan involves a levy on soft drinks, and calls on primary schools to offer pupils at least half an hour of daily physical activity. A new “healthy schools rating scheme” will also be introduced as a component of school inspections.

However, critics say the plan will not adequately safeguard children from food and drink products with high sugar content, such as fizzy drinks and sweets. Last year almost a fifth of children were obese by the time they left primary school, while almost one in 10 Reception-age children were obese, according to statistics from the National Child Measurement Programme.

In the West Midlands, London and the North East, at least 10 per cent of children in Reception were classified as obese, and in the same areas over a fifth of Year 6 children were obese.

In Scotland, the proportion of obese boys aged 2 to 15 fell between 2010 and 2014, while the proportion of obese girls increased.