BLACKBURN with Darwen’s Dominic Harrison is one of eight North-West public health directors calling on Boris Johnson to give them more government support in tackling obesity.

He has signed a letter to the Prime Minister saying the issue is vital in the wake of coronavirus.

It tells him: “The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a much-needed catalyst to get the government to finally address this very real issue of overweight and obesity.

“Local areas are already working really hard to address this important public health issue, but in the face of huge budget cuts to public health grants there is only so much we can do.

“In addition, some of the policy changes that will have the biggest impact on obesogenic environments need to be done at a national level.

“We are calling on the government to ensure that its strategy doesn’t solely place all the responsibility at the door of local people.”

Borough health boss Cllr Damian Talbot has admitted the council was missing its targets set out in a three-year strategy to tackle obesity.