HEALTH chiefs have revealed the bill for treating people with obesity problems in the area could soon top a weighty £50million.

Latest figures show NHS North East Essex spent £44.8million last year on treating patients with diseases related to obesity, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

That roughly equates to £140 per person in the area, and is almost a tenth of its entire budget.

The bill to fight the bulge is expected to hit £48.5million by next year and £55.7million by 2015.

However, the primary care trust, which covers Colchester and Tendring, says it is fighting back.

Senior public health specialist Chris French says the trust is already spending about £250,000 on funding schemes to help people improve their lifestyle, including providing Weight Watchers and even giving £70,000 to schools to spend on rowing machines.

He said: “I think the message is getting across because we have had success with our weight management schemes.

“But it’s a tough mountain to climb. It won’t happen quickly.

“This is something which has built up over a number of years and it will take time to tackle as well.

“But a lot of the work we are doing, like Weight Watchers, is about preventing people from becoming ill.

“We can offer them that, or put them in touch with a health trainer to try and improve their lifestyle.

“If that isn’t enough, then they could go to their GP and get medication, like anti-obesity drugs.”

Last year, the trust also spent about £55,300 on gastric band surgery, described by Mr French as “a last resort”.

The trust’s budget in 2007/08 was £452million.

Joanna Rigby, owner of Gymophobics, called for more money to be put into promoting exercise.

She said: “I think exercise is the key and the NHS should be funding trials for people to go to a suitable gym.

“If they have that incentive, it will encourage them to try it, and once they see the benefits, they will want to keep going.

“I would be more than happy to get involved if the trust wanted to put together a package for getting people into exercise.”

Scott Horton, owner of Hercules Gym, in Colne Bank Avenue, Colchester, said the cash for gastric bands should have gone instead on educating people to look after their bodies.

He said: “Most people don’t know the difference between a calorie and a carbohydrate. They are either very lazy or very ignorant.

“People wear these gastric bands and they are still shovelling rubbish down their throats.

“The money should go on teaching them the importance of exercising and eating properly.”