WHAT a sad state of affairs it is when we have to send our children to a club to teach them how to be fit and healthy.

But the reality of modern living, in a world dominated by video games and satellite TV, is that scores of youngsters will put their health at risk by getting obese unless health professionals actively do something to help them.

Children as young as 11 are now being admitted to slimming groups that normally cater for adults as obesity levels among the area's youngsters soar.

One in three children is now overweight or obese in East Lancashire, which has traditional problems of poor diet and bad eating habits linked to social deprivation, compared to a figure of one in five nationally.

Child dieticians have said that the increasing level of childhood obesity could turn the area into an ill-health hotspot.

But surely more can be done to help these children before the problem manifests itself in such dramatic fashion.

The government, which repeatedly heralds its work in education, has a responsibility to ensure that sport and exercise plays and massive part in our children's upbringing.

And those of us who are parents need to ensure that the time spent out in the fresh air which we enjoyed as children, is mirrored in our youngsters' lives.