IT COST the council £253 per slimmer to help 131 people lose weight last year.

According to information gathered in a Freedom of Information Request, Wokingham Borough Council spent £33,250 on public weight loss programmes in 2015/16.

Over the year 182 people accessed the service, with 131 shedding some pounds, at a cost of £253 for each success story.

Darrell Gale, the council's public health consultant, said: "Supporting people lose excess weight is one of the best things we can do to support healthier lives, at all stages in life.

"We know how difficult many of us find losing weight and keeping it off, and our weight management services are designed to encourage long-term loss and set people up for a healthier, lighter future."

Levels of overweight adults in Wokingham have remained steady over the past three years.

Across 2013 and 2015 an average of 63.3 per cent of people aged 16 and over were overweight, the same as the England average.