1 in 4 Britons is officially obese

London, July 3 (ANI): One in four Britons is officially obese, shocking figures have revealed.

The rising number of dangerously overweight people is putting a huge strain on the NHS, with one million Britons now diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

And experts predict the figure will hit 5.5 million by 2030.

In the past 10 years, the rate of obesity-related hospital admissions has soared by 737 per cent, to 7,988 cases last year.

It is estimated that by 2014, up to 2.5m children in the UK will be overweight, reports the Daily Express.

Anastasia de Waal, director of family and education at think-tank Civitas, said: "It's no surprise we have obesity issues when fresh, healthy foods are so expensive. And so much money is having to go on basics. This country is really expensive and we're seeing the repercussions."

The poor state of the nation's health has been revealed in the latest edition of the Office of National Statistics' Social Trends report. (ANI)