Free swimming for children in drive to beat obesity

Children deemed the unhealthiest in London will be offered free swimming sessions in a bid to fight obesity.

The project is part of a £1 million scheme to boost exercise among obese young people in Barking and Dagenham.

As well as free swimming sessions, they will be offered subsidised lessons from September.

According to research, people in the borough are the least physically active in London and the third least active in the country. A spokesman for Barking and Dagenham primary care trust said: "The size of the problem necessitates a massive change, on a scale not attempted before in the UK - industrial-scale change for children and young people."

The three-year scheme will also see young people given Oyster-style cards that they can use to pay for other sports. School meals will also be made healthier.

Meanwhile, a campaign to encourage children to take up tennis has been launched in Haringey. The Tennis Foundation will fund courts and coaching and every primary school in the borough will start a tennis programme.