BROATBRIDGE

The fat of the land ... Lanarkshire town is Britain's most overweigh

A SCOTS town has been named Britain's capital - for FATTIES.

Researchers found a staggering 21 per cent - more than one in FIVE people - living in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, were obese.

It finished just ahead of Glasgow North East and Methil, Fife - where 20 per cent are battling the bulge.

And two MORE Scots towns, Kilmarnock and Bellshill, Lanarkshire, were joint third, with 19 per cent of locals having a body mass index of more than 30.

The shocking figures were revealed after a series of lifestyle interviews with people across the country by market research firm CACI.

And Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: "I'm not surprised it is a Scottish town.

"There's a demonstrably bigger problem in Scotland than the rest of the UK. The problem tends to be worse in lower socio-economic urban areas.

"There, people have less money to spend on food and are less educated on what type of food to buy. And retailers in these areas don't tend to stock the best foods."

The study also found Scotland was home to three of the UK's HEALTHIEST populations.

Morningside, in Edinburgh, had an obesity rate of nine per cent, with nearby Inverleith and the city centre just over ten per cent.

And Mr Fry reckoned the gap showed Scotland's health divide between east and west.

He added: "Edinburgh has a greater ratio of upper and middle class areas, while Glasgow has larger areas of deprivation. With Coatbridge being so close to Glasgow these results are not surprising."

Coatbridge West councillor Tom Maginnis admitted the town had a health problem - but blamed it on the huge number of restaurants, cafes and fast-food outlets.

He said, "Every corner you turn in Coatbridge there are Indians, Chinese and fish-and chip shops. This area has a terrible record in terms of health and we're working with the NHS to try to alleviate this."

Twenty per cent of people in Walsall, West Midlands, are also obese.