Supermarket layouts are designed to make us fat, research suggests.

A study by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that sweets, crisps and other unhealthy foods were placed far more prominently than other fare, making it harder for shoppers to resist.

The research found that nine in ten products on display at eye level were unhealthy.

And seven in ten of all food and drink products on display were those which contribute significantly to children’s sugar and calorie intake, the analysis found.

The research, much of which focused on small supermarkets and corner shops, came as a survey of 2,000 shoppers found one in three had “impulse bought” unhealthy snacks because they were on offer.

The RSPH called on food shops to redesign their layout to help Britain tackle its obesity crisis.

Britain has the worst obesity rates in Western Europe, with two in three adults overweight or obese.

The new research carried out with Slimming World, urges supermarkets to start offering reward points to shoppers who make healthy choices.