AN MP has called on celebrities to help tackle obesity after it was revealed that overweight Derbyshire people cost the NHS £257m.

South Derbyshire MP Mark Todd spoke out after the Department of Health figures showed the true cost of tackling obesity-related illness, such as heart conditions, diabetes and breathing problems.

In 2007, weight-related illness cost Derby City Primary Care Trust £73.4m and Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust £184m.

And the figures are expected to rise as the nation gets heavier, despite schemes to tackle the problem.

Mr Todd said: "What these figures show is that there are still a group of people that we have not yet found the language and medium to get the message across to yet. We need to find people that they are going to listen, but it seems that does not mean doctors or politicians.

"If you look at Jamie Oliver he has been effective to an extent."

He also called on the Government to extend its programme of giving free fruit for infant school children to older pupils.

The Government is aiming to bring obesity back to the level it was in 2000 by 2020.

But the problem is getting worse, with the cost to the NHS expected to rise to £81.5m in Derby by 2015, and to £205m in the county.

The figures are based on an estimate of the cost of treating conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, which have proven links to obesity.

Dr Andrew Wakeman, director of public health for the city trust, said its 10-year strategy Healthy Derby had been set up last year to cut preventable deaths, including those linked to obesity.

He said: "Obesity management, including helping people to improve their diet and increase the amount of exercise they do, is a key priority for the trust."

He cited Derby City Council's b-active programme, which aims to increase physical activity, the Family Nurse Partnership, which supports young parents, and the Healthy Schools Programme.

In the county, about £1m is spent each year on programmes to stop obesity levels growing.

A spokeswoman for the county trust said: "Levels of obesity in Derbyshire mirror national trends, and the impact on health, society and the economy is considerable."

The trust is in the process of finalising its three-year strategy for Derbyshire.

She said support for breast-feeding and healthy infant feeding, weight management, physical activity and nutrition programmes would all be included in the plans.

The Department of Health yesterday launched a Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives toolkit, which will be made available to all primary care trusts and local authorities.

It is designed to educate officials about some of the causes of obesity, which include parents' failure to recognise that their children are overweight, and using snacks as rewards or to prevent boredom or arguments.