More than a third of the region's children are too fat

Figures from the National Child Measurement Programme show around 36 per cent - around 23,500 - of year six children in the region are obese or overweight, which is above the national average of 33.2 per cent.

Obesity has proved a problem with youngsters in the Black Country and Staffordshire too - a recent profile of children by the NHS showed figures for the proportion of children who are obese.

In Wolverhampton, 26.3 per cent of year six children were classed as obese.

Sandwell, Walsall and Dudley were slightly lower with 24.5, 24.4 and 24.3 per cent respectively.

Also with more than a fifth of year six children obese is Cannock Chase at 20.2 per cent, with South Staffordshire just below at 19.1 per cent.

Stafford has the least obese year six children at 15.2 per cent.

The British Heart Foundation has now called for a ban on all junk food TV advertisements before the 9pm watershed, as part of the Government's Childhood Obesity Strategy to help improve children's health.

Current regulation means foods high in fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar are banned from being advertised during children's programming.

However, with Ofcom figures showing 65 per cent of children watch TV during what is considered adult time, children are being exposed to adverts which promote unhealthy snacks such as crisps, chocolate bars and pizzas, the charity claims.

Up to 1.8 million children will watch TV between 7pm and 8pm.

Mike Hobday, director of policy at the British Heart Foundation, said: "It's worrying that so many children in the West Midlands are obese or overweight. Carrying excess weight into adulthood increases the risk of developing heart disease in later life.

"We mustn't allow food companies to continue to exploit a failing regulatory system that allows them to bombard TV screens with junk food adverts at the times when the highest numbers of children are watching TV.

"We need to protect young people against the sophisticated marketing techniques of junk food advertisers to help tackle the obesity crisis which threatens the heart health of future generations."

Across the nation, children are eating more saturated fat and sugar than is recommended and not enough fruit and vegetables.

David Cameron has so far resisted calls for a 'sugar tax' on drinks and foods, despite calls from Public Health England, celebrity campaigner Jamie Oliver and the Commons health select committee.