Working mothers are to blame for Britain’s childhood obesity epidemic, a team of scientists have suggested.

A study of children born between 2000 and 2002 claims to be the first to link a mother’s employment to the weight of her offspring.

Professor Emla Fitzsimons, from University College London, which conducted the research of almost 20,000 families, told The Sunday Times: ‘We find that children whose mothers work are more likely to have increased sedentary behaviour and poorer dietary habits.’

A new study done by University College London found that the children of single mothers working full-time were 25 per cent more likely to be overweight compared to children with stay-at-home mothers

The study describes obesity as ‘the most common chronic disease of childhood'

While the researchers said their findings were most pronounced for single mothers working full-time, they also related to working mothers who have partners. The project also found that children are fatter regardless of whether their mother works full- or part-time.

The study describes obesity as ‘the most common chronic disease of childhood and likely to persist into adulthood with far-reaching effects’.

It found that the dramatic increase in the numbers of obese children and teenagers over the past four decades had been accompanied by a similarly sharp rise in the employment of mothers.

Children of mothers working full-time are 29 per cent less likely to eat a regular breakfast and up to 19 per cent more likely to spend more than three hours a day watching TV

In the UK, the proportion of working mothers with children under the age of five rose from 31 per cent in 1980 to 58 per cent in 2008.

The children of single mothers working full-time were almost 25 per cent more likely to be overweight than the offspring of stay- at-home mothers, the research team found.

It was also discovered that the children of mothers working full-time were 29 per cent less likely to eat a regular breakfast and up to 19 per cent more likely to spend more than three hours a day watching TV.

Previous studies have suggested working mothers spend less time on housework, meal preparation and child supervision.

The UCL researchers could not find ‘any significant effect’ of a father’s job on his children’s weight.

The study makes clear that the burden of childcare continues to fall mainly on mothers.

To improve the situation, it suggests taking a ‘fundamental step’ to involve fathers as ‘active players’ in promoting their children’s wellbeing.

The paper adds: ‘Programmes encouraging healthy behaviours among children could be better tailored to bring both parents on board.’