Brighton council could axe fast-food ads to curb obesity

An audit in April found between seven and eight percent of adverts on Brighton and Hove bus shelters were for fast food chains

Fast food adverts on council-owned hoardings and bus shelters could be banned in Brighton under new plans by the council to curb obesity.

The proposals will also see a project group of local bodies in Brighton being formed which would investigate the impact of the adverts in the city.

Brighton & Hove City Council is also asking local bus and train operators if they will consider banning the adverts.

Similar projects have already begun in Bristol and London.

It comes after figures revealed the number of 11-year-olds in Brighton and Hove who are overweight or obese increased from 30 to 34 percent in the last year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The number of overweight or obese 11-year-olds in Brighton and Hove has risen from 30 to 34 percent in a year

The project was first proposed at a full council meeting in April, after a council report found seven to eight percent of Brighton's bus shelters had advertising for major fast food brands.

The council currently owns all bus shelters in the city, and also sells advertising on some hoardings.

The report also referred to World Health Organisation warnings that fast-food advertising was a "key contributor" to the rise in obesity, particularly in more deprived areas.

It added: "Restricting advertisements for these items has been recommended as one of a range of evidence-based measures to reduce consumption of these high calorie and less healthy food options, reducing the risk of obesity amongst children and adults."

The project will be discussed at a meeting of the council's Adult Social Care and Public Health Sub-Committee next week.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]