PUBLIC health bosses are aiming to get to grips with the increasing problem of obesity among East Lancashire people.

The area health authority's public health director Dr Stephen Morton said the soaring number of overweight residents was set to become a major public health problem over the next 20 years. The authority is running campaigns to encourage people to exercise more.

But Dr Morton said: "We need to get a handle on this problem before it has an enormous impact.

"We need to get people cycling and walking. But encouraging people to exercise is an uphill struggle because of the area's topography."

One scheme designed to encourage more exercise includes the Fitness For Life GP referral scheme which has been piloted in Pendle and Darwen.

This aims to increase the number of people at risk of heart disease to take regular exercise.

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