THE number of people in the south admitted to hospital for obesity-related health problems shot up by more than a third in three years, figures have revealed.

Records published by the NHS Information Centre show there were 143 admissions in 2008/9, the latest period for which figures are available, up by 38 per cent from 104 in 2006/7.

A breakdown of the figures revealed the number of obesity patients in Southampton more than quadrupled from nine to 38 over the same period.

Patients admitted from the Hampshire County Council area rose 13 per cent from 83 to 94 while those on the Isle of Wight dropped from 12 to 11.

The data covers all cases where the “primary cause” of an admission to hospital is obesity.

This includes surgery, breathing restrictions, organ difficulties, circulation problems or even broken bones caused by a fall linked to a patient’s weight.

Across England, the number of people admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of obesity more than doubled between 2006/07 and 2008/09, rising from 3,862 to 7,988.

Shadow Health Minister Mike Penning said: “Labour have been shamefully complacent over obesity. They’ve raided the budgets for tackling it to plug deficits in the NHS, missed and then scrapped their own targets and dithered over food labelling.

“These figures show the toll their complacency is taking, with thousands of lives being destroyed and huge pressures placed on the NHS. We all need to take responsibility for making the right choices about our diet but the Government could and should be doing more.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “There’s no doubt that levels of obesity in this country, as in the rest of the developed world, are far too high. That’s why we’re investing time, energy and money into preventing people from becoming obese in the first place.

“The Government’s Change4Life campaign has kick-started a lifestyle revolution to help every family eat well, move more and live longer. The latest evidence suggests childhood obesity rates are levelling off.”