A fifth of all year 6 Medway primary pupils is obese, it's been revealed.

Latest figures show a total of 20.5 per cent of 10 to 11-year-olds falls into the heavyweight category.

But Ashford has the highest rate of obese four to five-year-olds in the county.

Figures show 11 per cent of those children tested were obese - the highest in the county.

The statistics come from the NHS’ National Child Measurement Programme.

A total of 1,144 reception year children were tested and 126 were found to be obese.

Now Ashford council is hoping to promote healthy eating and cooking through running a Healthy Choices Award scheme.

It will contact colleagues across Kent about this and seek funding from groups such as primary care trusts.

Meanwhile it will develop healthy eating and cooking pages on Ashford council’s own website.

Audio: Lorna Marchant, who runs a private nutriton practice near Sandwich

• Shepway is the fourth worst in Kent for obese four to five-year-olds. Its percentage is 9.7, or 80 out of 829 children tested.

It ranks sixth out of Kent’s 13 council districts for Year 6 children. That figure is 17.4 per cent, or 191, out of 1,100.