Dubbed ‘Britain’s fattest town’, Ebbw Vale is grappling with high levels of obesity as one resident complained about queues for McDonald’s blocking him getting into his home.
Four out of five people in the former South Wales steel town are classed as either “overweight” or “obese”, according to New Patient. But it is far from surprising, seeing the town centre has a dozen fast food takeaways serving fried chicken, kebabs and other greasy and unhealthy options.
Local Bryn Booth, 57, told the Mail: “I had a terrible shock when I had a heart attack seven years ago and knew I had to do something about my diet. But I was wasn’t doing so well, getting exercise became difficult and then I collapsed on Father’s Day this year while I was visiting my father’s grave.”
Describing himself as “the fattest man” in Ebbw Vale, the ex-warehouse worker added: “They managed to revive me but it was a terrible shock. I’m at least five stone overweight but fortunately the diabetic clinic has offered me a slimming jab, so I’m hopeful I can get down to a reasonable size.”
The largest town in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent has 80 per cent of its people being overweight or obese – 18 per cent higher than the rest of Wales.
Local Brontie Hannah, 17, who plans to join the navy, told the Mail she used to live on cereals and sandwiches.
She said: “I found I was allergic to fruit and vegetables and spent my time just going to McDonald’s and getting Big Macs.
“I was hooked on junk food but I knew I had to change and now I live on cereals and sandwiches.
“I know social media has a bad name, but it was through social media that I realised how much damage I was doing to my body. I didn’t do well at school, but now I have two jobs and am planning on joining the Navy.”
With her boyfriend being in the Army, she said she is determined to make “something of herself”, by working hard and eating healthy.
She added: “Despite all the takeaways and fast food places there are here, I’m never going back to eating like that.”
For director of public health for Gwent, Prof Tracy Daszkiewicz, it is ‘time to move the conversation away from weight and towards good health’.
She said: “We need to think about healthy weight in terms of our food system. As a Public Health team, we want to look at this to make a fundamental change.
“For this, we need to consider the commerical determinants of health. We want to influence the way unhealthy foods are advertised and promoted within our communities.”
According to staggering 2018 report, Blaenau Gwent had the highest proportion of fast food eateries in the UK. At that time nearly three-quarters of the eateries in the area were selling fast food – more than any other part of the country.
Some delivery drivers claim they have driven three separate takeaways to the same household in a single day, the Mail reports.
Jodie Hughes, 37, who has lost 16 stone, said: “Trouble is, it’s addictive and it’s no wonder people are getting fatter and fatter.
“I should know, I got very big with the easy availability of food, it got totally out of hand.”
