EAST Lancashire MP Greg Pope today slammed the Government over flaws in its move to tackling obesity.

Ministers were to announce restrictions on the advertising of junk food for children today.

But the Hyndburn Labour backbencher revealed he has doubts over its effectiveness - and said it was not children who bought the food.

He said parents were responsible and recommended it was the adults who were given more guidance. And he said banning junk food ads on television before 9pm would not solve the problem.

Obesity, heart disease and diabetes have all been linked to poor diet, with the region recording high rates in each.

A crackdown on products high in fat, salt or sugar will now be labelled under a "traffic light" scheme, indicating how often they can be eaten, with a similar campaign used by regulators OFCOM to indicate which adverts can be shown when children are watching.

But Mr Pope said: "I can see the intention but I am interested how it can really make any difference. It isn't the children watching who buy the food, it is parents who have a responsibility to ensure their children have a healthy diet."

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will now label foods with red stickers for products that should be eaten sparingly, yellow for those to be eaten in moderation and green meaning to eat plenty.

And Health Secretary, Dr John Reid, has warned the food industry he will make the advertising of junk food illegal unless firms agree to voluntary restrictions by 2007.

Last month, Jenny Slaughter, who is responsible for improving eating habits in county schools, warned children with poor nutrition could die before their parents.