TV ads are linked to chubby children

Junk food advertising is being targeted by a charity which claims it is responsible for the rise in obese children in the East Midlands.

Cancer Research UK says more than one in five children in the region are overweight by the time they go to primary school - a figure which increases to one in three by the time they leave - and this in turn leads to an increased chance for developing cancer in later life.

The charity has launched a ‘Junk Free TV’ campaign urging the Government to remove junk food advertising from TV before the 9pm watershed to help protect children’s health.

The call follows a study by the Cancer Research UK revealing how youngsters’ food choices are influenced negatively by TV advertising.