A top surgeon has warned the government needs to get a grip on obesity before it bankrupts the NHS.

Specialist Chris Pring says action needs to be taken now to treat morbidly overweight patients to cut back on the costs of treating the long-term health problems they will develop.

Mr Pring said the cost of paying out now for gastric surgery would be recouped in most cases within three years.

He said: “Having surgery like this is not just about losing weight, it is about improving health.”

Mr Pring, who is based at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, spoke following the publication of a report which predicts obesity will cost the health service £20 billion a year by 2025.

Latest figures show there are an estimated 114,697 people classed as obese in Sussex compared with 109,620 the year before.

The number of people confirmed as diabetic has gone up from 62,604 in 2008/9 to 65,895 in 2009/10.

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