Nearly two in three adults in Comet country are overweight or obese, a government study has revealed.

Public Health England figures released last week found that 69.1% of adults are carrying ‘excess weight’ in Central Bedfordshire, 62.7% in Stevenage and 60% in North Hertfordshire.

Across the whole of Hertfordshire the figure is 61.8%.

The survey results, which are representative of the adult population in each authority, also provide a percentage breakdown of those considered ‘obese’ – defined as someone whose body mass index is equal to or greater than 30kg/m².

One in four (25.6%) Stevenage residents are obese, with the figure dropping to 23.7% in Central Bedfordshire and 19.1% in North Hertfordshire.