More than 40 obese people are rescued by the fire service each week, according to startling new figures.
The shocking reality of the UK's obesity crisis has been laid bare by Home Office data on the number of firefighter callouts for helping members of the public who are 'overweight or plus size'.
It showed that between April 2024 and March 2025 there were a total of 2,274 'bariatric assist' incidents.
These can include scenarios where rescue teams have had to winch patients too fat to move out of their flats. Sometimes walls, windows and banisters must be removed to get them out.
This year's figure is five times higher than a decade ago, reflecting how the nation's waistline has bulged massively.
