Obtained under Freedom of Information laws, reports showed one boy aged six in Derby was taken from his home by social workers because he was dangerously obese.

Another boy in London, aged 12, was put into care with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 28 - 60 per cent above the 17.5 average for his age.

In Cumbria, social services intervened when one girl aged only eight weighed over 9st and wore size 16 clothes.