One in every four people in Medway is obese, according to latest figures.

Meanwhile, in west Kent nearly 23 per cent of us are clinically obese.

The dramatic figures were released as Kent gets set for the first over-the-counter diet pill - on sale from this week.

Alli claims to help slimmers lose 50 per cent more weight than willpower alone.

The £1.50-a day drug – the first to be sold without prescription – works by ­stopping the body absorbing fat.

~Audio: Boots nutritionist Vicky Pennington tells how nothing beats a healthy diet and lifestyle>>>

Nationally just under 24 per cent of people are obese, compared with the local statistics for Eastern and Coastal Kent, which stand at 24 per cent exactly.

But health professionals have warned the new drugs are not a cure-all for obesity on their own.

Vicky Pennington, nutritionist for Boots, said the drug was not a quick fix.

She added:"You have to be committed to making changes to your diet and lifestyle."

But pressure groups are urging pharmacists not to give out the drug to anyone with a BMI of under 28 - a healthy BMI is in the range between 18.5 and 25.