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Social services are intervening in families or taking children into care partly because they are too fat.

Figures show that Welsh authorities are among those who have either put children on the child protection register or placed children into care where obesity or a high BMI were factors.

Three children in Carmarthenshire were placed on the child protection register between 2014 and 2016, where those concerns were a factor, according to a freedom of information response.

These included an 11-year-old girl in 2016 who had complex health needs where weight and a high BMI came into play, a girl aged one in 2016, where weight was a factor, and a boy aged 15 in 2014, where weight and high BMI were factors.

The council said that in all cases BMI was only one factor and not the overriding concern.

Should be a last resort – MP

A four-year-old girl with a BMI of 29.5 was placed on the register in Powys . Again the council said the BMI was not the main factor.

Two children in Merthyr Tydfil were placed on the child protection register and Newport has placed at least one child in care or on the at risk register between 2014 and 2016, where concerns about obesity or high BMI came into play. Newport council said it could not disclose exact figures due to the risk of identification.

Wrexham refused to confirm or deny whether it had placed any children in care or on the at risk register.

Monmouth MP David Davies said that children being put into care for such reasons should be a “last resort”.

“I can see why people would want to monitor the health of children if they’re being put at risk,” he said.

“But removing children is a very extreme step which should be a last possible resort. It certainly needs independent monitoring.”

Dr Mair Parry, Officer for Wales for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “Obesity in children is a massive problem. Wales has the worst rate for childhood obesity in the UK, with more than a quarter of children at reception age overweight or obese.

“We know that the effect of being overweight whilst a child can cause worrying health issues such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes later on in life.

Call for more to be done in schools

“That is why we want to see Government make taking the healthy choice, the easy choice. Local authorities need to be encouraged to introduce 20mph speed limits in all built-up areas to create safer environments for children to be active.

"We also need to see children exposed to positive health and wellbeing choices by introducing evidence-based personal and social education (PSE) programmes across primary and secondary schools.”

At least 15 councils across Britain have taken children into care or put children on child protection registers in cases between 2014 and 2016 where obesity or high BMI was a factor.

There were 67 councils across Britain that said they had not taken any kids into care or placed them on the at risk register where obesity or high BMI was a factor.

The total figure for children subject to care proceedings may be higher, as 81 councils said to would take too long to check through their records to see if obesity or high BMI had been a factor in any cases.

A further 27 councils said they did not specifically record when obesity was a factor in care decisions. Four councils failed to respond to the request.

Between 2009 and 2013, about 30 children have been taken into care in the past five years where obesity has been a factor in the decision, a previous freedom of information request to councils showed.

Around 20 children have been made subject of child protection plans where obesity was a factor during that period.