ONE in ten four and five year olds in Sussex are obese or overweight, new figures reveal.

Experts warn youngsters could be stacking up potential health problems for the future by not maintaining a healthy weight.

Dealing with the health effects caused by being severely overweight costs the NHS in Sussex about £460 million a year.

It can lead to problems including diabetes, some cancers, heart disease and stroke.

Health bosses say it is vital children learn good eating habits at an early stage and have a healthy lifestyle.

The figures come from the National Child Measurement Programme, which weighs children in Reception and Year 6 at the start of the school year.

They show 7.5 per cent of Reception pupils in Brighton and Hove are obese and 10.6 per cent are overweight, which is well below the national averages of 9.1 per cent and 12.8 respectively.

In East Sussex 7.9 per cent of four and five year olds are obese and 12.1 per cent are overweight and in West Sussex the figures are 7.3 per cent and 12.4 per cent.

A wide range of schemes and projects are available to promote healthy eating and encourage people to get active.

Brighton and Hove has a family shape-up programme which gives overweight children and their relatives information, support and advice.

There are also separate programmes for teenagers and the city council works with other organisations including the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, Freedom Leisure and Albion in the Community to help spread the message.

It also has free swimming sessions for under 16s and has recently launched a campaign urging restaurants and cafes to charge customers an extra 10p on sugary drinks to tackle obesity.

Work in schools includes running breakfast clubs, encouraging healthy packed lunches and encouraging physical activities through after school clubs.

Lydie Dalton, the council’s public health programme manager for children and young people, said: “A great deal is being done across the system.

“If any parent or guardian has concerns about their child’s weight we have a lot of free services available and they can get advice by calling our healthy weight team on 01273 431703.”

Paul Niblett from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, which published the figures, said: “The findings shed light on where improvements can continue to be made, thereby providing a valuable source of information for parents, policy makers and health professionals in encouraging a healthy lifestyle for children.”