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Body-conscious gym and beauty fans are risking their health by taking dangerous and sometimes illegal drugs to improve their appearance in time for their summer holidays, councils warn today.

The number of 10 and 11-year-old children classed as severely obese - the most overweight scale - in the final year of primary school is nearly double that of those in reception, new analysis by the Local Government Association reveals today.

"The Government has pledged a £5 billion fund for NHS and public services coping with the coronavirus and look forward to seeing the full details."

Crucial data must be shared with councils to make use of their local knowledge and expertise and ensure vital national efforts to track and trace coronavirus succeed, the LGA warns today.

“Councils need adequate resources and funding certainty to not only cope with this immediate coronavirus crisis but to continue providing other vital public health services for the long term."

“Councils want to continue playing a leading role in supporting local communities and the national effort to defeat this disease."

“COVID-19 is best understood as a pattern of local outbreaks, rather than a national pandemic with a similar impact in every community, which is why councils as local leaders have a fundamental role to play in the test and trace service."

“The most important thing is that the public and those working on the frontline get a complete picture of the impact this virus has had in our neighbourhoods and in our communities."

Responding to the Government pledge to protect renters amid the coronavirus outbreak, Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Resources Board, said: “Councils are leading local efforts to support communities as they try and cope with the coronavirus outbreak. They will be working with tenants who are experiencing financial challenges as a result to support them to stay in their homes. Many are already suspending debt recovery and will try and use discretionary funding to support struggling household as quickly and effectively as possible “Councils need the

"Councils remain ready to work with the Government so they can use their experience and expertise to help contact and trace these people."