POOR school dinners are in danger of creating a health crisis among East Lancashire children, an expert warned today.

And Jenny Slaughter, the dietician in charge of improving local primary school children's eating habits, said that if nothing was done to take cheap, stodgy meals out of their diets they could die before their parents.

She revealed that the situation in some schools was so bad that cooks simply re-heat pre-prepared food and do not even have the equipment to peel a potato.

Mrs Slaughter said secondary school menus were much better thanks to recent initiatives but that primary schools had been left behind.

An East Lancashire MP today backed calls for action -- while education bosses said they were working hard to improve what pupils ate.

Mrs Slaughter spoke out after the a report from the Soil Association, which promotes locally grown and organic food.

It revealed that an average primary school menu contained 28 per cent more saturated fat than recommended by nutritionists, almost 40 per cent more salt and 19 per cent more sugar.

East Lancashire has a high level of deprivation, which is highlighted by the high numbers of children who receive free school dinners.

She said: "In deprived areas it is vital that children get a healthy meal at lunch time.

"There are already high levels of heart disease, diabetes and other diet-related illnesses in East Lancashire and unless this situation is addressed they will continue to rise.

"Without good nutrition, children's brains cannot develop well.

"They will easily lose concentration, feel tired and will not learn in the way that they would if they were well nourished.

"The scariest thing is that if something is not done to improve children's diets, this generation of youngsters may die before their parents."

MP for Hyndburn, Greg Pope, said: "I very much agree with what she is saying and earlier this year was myself involved to get the free fruit scheme extended into primary schools."