One man, who called himself the ‘fattest man in Ebbw Vale,’ moaned: ‘I live here near a McDonald’s and there are often so many cars queuing up to get their burgers that I can’t get into my house’
The ‘UK’s fattest town’ has four fifth of its residents registering as overweight or obese and some eat takeaway three meals a day. The former steel hub of Ebbw Vale in South Wales now faces high rates of people under the age of 50 falling into these categories, with reports claiming some delivery drivers have attested to making triple drops at the same address in a single day.
Unsurprisingly, the health of the town is suffering. Speaking to MailOnline, 37-year-old beautician Jodie Hughes discussed the challenges facing the town after she herself put on weight and required a gastric band. “There are so many takeaways and fast food places feeding people’s appetites,” she told the outlet. “Trouble is, it’s addictive and it’s no wonder people are getting fatter and fatter.”
She reportedly feels that at the heart of the issue is the economy, with people being forced to turn to cheaper options in trying times – but in a cruel twist of fate that can often be junk food. It is understood there is only one fresh produce shop in the town.
That, coupled with work demands mean people are only pushed further into the obesity trap because they also have little time. As many will know, making a tasty, healthy and cheap meal quickly isn’t always easy.
Like many others, she has signed up for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s Weight Management Service, which runs a number of courses to help people in the area cope with the challenges and pathways that lead to a poor diet.
Local businessman Scott, 55, told the same outlet: “If you try to eat healthy with organic food and the like, you have to pay a lot for it, there is little encouragement to eat properly when convenience food is so cheap and easy to get hold of.”
Other people in the area have admitted to being “hooked on junk food,” while others have pledged to change their lifestyle after suffering severe health scares like a heart attack.
Meanwhile, 57-year-old Bryn Booth, who called himself the “fattest man in Ebbw Vale” moaned: “I live here near a McDonalds and there are often so many cars queuing up to get their burgers that I can’t get into my house. It’s ridiculous.”