SCIENTISTS have laid the blame for Britain's childhood obesity epidemic at the door of working mothers, in a new study.

The shocking findings also claim the kids of mums who work are negatively affected - whereas the father's employment appears to have no "significant effect".

2 A new study claims - in findings unlikely to impress working mums - that they are to blame for a rise in child obesity Credit: Getty - Contributor

A study carried out by University College London looked at 20,000 families, and is the first to link mums who work to the weight of their children.

Professor Emla Fitzsimons told The Sunday Times: "We find that children whose mothers work are more likely to have increased sedentary behaviour and poorer dietary habits."

Researchers said the bizarre findings were more obvious for single mums who work full-time, but also revealed a pattern with mums who work and have a partner.

But the study added it doesn't matter if mums work full-time or part-time, their child is still more likely to be fatter than that of a non working mum.

It describes obesity as "the most common chronic disease of childhood and likely to persist into adulthood with far-reaching effects".

And found teens and children have gained weight over the past four decades along with a rise in working mums - with kids of single working mothers 25 per cent more likely to be overweight.

It suggested kids of mums who work full time are 29 per cent less likely to eat a regular breakfast and 19 per cent more likely to watch TV for more than three hours a day.

With the burden remaining on the mum to provide childcare, the study found, it suggested fathers become more "active players" in promoting their kids wellbeing.

According to the Government, younger generations are becoming obese at earlier ages and staying obese for longer.

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It's estimated around one in every five children aged ten to 11 year olds are obese, with a third of children aged two to 15 overweight or obese.

And Public Health England says, nearly half of kids are overweight in parts of the UK, with seven out of the fattest areas in Britain located in London.

Last year we told how a blogger came under fire after posting a hand-written chart comparing working and stay-at-home mums.

2 The study found that a mum in work negatively impacted on her child's weight in the majority of cases Credit: Getty - Contributor

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