CANCER Research UK has launched a new campaign at sites including Knutsford, Northwich and Winsford after latest figures show that obese people outnumber smokers nearly two to one in the north west, as the charity urges government action.

The charity says that while smoking is still the nation's biggest preventable cause of cancer, analysis reveals that being overweight or obese exceeds smoking as the leading cause of four types of cancer.

To raise awareness of the link between obesity and cancer, the charity has launched new posters inspired by old fashioned cigarette packs that will be on display in July at prominent sites including on Longbridge Road in Knutsford, Clifton Drive in Northwich and Middlewich Road in Winsford.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive at Cancer Research UK, said: "Our children could be a smoke-free generation, but we’ve hit a devastating record high for childhood obesity, and now we need urgent government intervention to end the epidemic."

Northwich Guardian:

The charity wants the government to act on its ambition to halve childhood obesity rates by 2030 by introducing a 9pm watershed for junk food adverts on TV and online, as well as other measures such as restricting promotional offers on unhealthy food and drinks.

Professor Linda Bauld, prevention expert at the charity said: “The world we live in doesn’t make it easy to be healthy and we need government action to fix that, but people can also make changes themselves; small things like swapping junk food for healthier options and keeping active can all add up to help reduce cancer risk.”

For more information, visit cruk.org/endjunkfoodadstokids