Childhood obesity is a ticking time bomb that could lead to an explosion of all manner of health problems over the coming generations unless more is done to tackle it now.

Latest figures show Bradford has the highest level of overweight 11-year-olds in West Yorkshire, with a total of 35 per cent, which is just above the national average. That is a frightening figure.

Equally disturbing is the fact that a survey of the same group of pupils six years ago when they were in reception class show 23 per cent were classed as overweight or obese at that point – which means an increase of 12 per cent.

That seems to indicate that the healthy eating and exercise message is still not getting through to parents in the district. And ultimately, it is the parents where the responsibility for tackling this must ultimately rest.

Too often, economic and social factors mean that parents are simply turning to quick and cheap food for their children – and too often that means fast food from takeaways or cheap convenience foods from supermarkets.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be more expensive – but it is likely to be more time consuming and involve better planning for parents when shopping and preparing meals.

It is also really important for them to encourage healthier lifestyles for youngsters – too many spend too much time watching television or playing video games and not enough time out and about in the fresh air.

No one is claiming these will be easy or popular choices, either for themselves or for their children. But that is part of the responsibility of being a parent.

The easy choice is to sit back and do nothing; in doing so, you take a huge risk with the future health and happiness of your children.