No wonder KFC’s objecting efforts to stop takeaways opening near schools! Some of fast food chain’s 1,000 stores are opposite classrooms – see the true scale of the issue using our interactive map of London

According to a map from MailOnline, KFC branches can be located just meters away from schools.

The surprising data illustrates why the fast food giant, which has 1,000 stores in Britain, would want to thwart anti-obesity policies banning takeaways near classrooms.

In one extreme case visible on our map of London, a primary school is just two doors down from a KFC restaurant. Another stands opposite a college.

Today a sensational investigation reveals how KFC has challenged the planning policies of 43 councils that want to restrict where takeaways can set up shop.

Two dozen of those authorities abandoned or watered down their plans. The times found it.

The newspaper used the example of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which wanted to prevent all takeaways from opening within 400 meters of primary schools.

In support of this aim, council leaders presented evidence showing that year six pupils who lived in areas with the highest density of fast food restaurants had a higher BMI.

But KFC argued that there was not enough data to justify this claim, and that not all food outlets serve 'the same type and quality of food'.

Continue the analysis The times also found that almost 200 schools in England and Wales have ten or more takeaways within 400 metres.

Separate borough-by-borough figures for London, which MailOnline has compiled into an interactive map, pinpoint more than 3,800 schools in London and their proximity to KFC's 171 restaurants.

The school data was last updated four years ago so may be slightly out of date. MailOnline has plotted the exact coordinates on the map for KFC.

In one case in the affluent north London borough of Hampstead, Rosary Roman Catholic Primary School is just two doors away from KFC's Haverstock Hill branch.

In another example, Acorn House College in Southall, West London, is directly opposite the Southall High Street restaurant.

Elsewhere in the country, a drive-through KFC is in the Lancashire village of Buckshaw, just yards away from a primary school.

It opened in 2019 despite opposition from some locals who accused KFC of encouraging childhood obesity.

The restaurant, which developers said would bring jobs to the village, was granted planning permission in March 2018 despite objections.

Last month a new KFC opened in Beacon Business Park in Stafford – a second for the city – after a council decision was overturned.

The council initially rejected the plans over concerns it would directly interface with Weston Road Academy and be 'within metres' of Veritas Primary Academy.

But an appeal was filed and in 2021 an inspector granted approval for the new drive-through restaurant.

Council officials have tried to limit the number of takeaways and fast food outlets near schools across the country, but are required to open new planning policies to public consultation.

However, according to The Times, this policy is often challenged by KFC, with an external planning inspector ruling in the chain's favor in half of the cases.

A KFC spokesperson said: 'We take our role in the high street and the positive contribution we make to communities across the country very seriously and like many other businesses we are seizing opportunities to contribute when local authorities requesting opinions from relevant parties on matters. such as planning policy.

'This is a standard part of the policy-making process to ensure that any potential ill-considered impacts on the local environment are uncovered.

'As part of this routine consultation process, we raised concerns about a number of draft policies that took a broad approach, supported by limited evidence, which in practice would effectively amount to a ban on new restaurants opening in the region. local area.

'As a company, we support that the sector deals responsibly with schools. For example, we already have self-imposed restrictions on advertising near schools, which are stricter than current advertising rules.”

No10 has previously campaigned to help Brits become thinner, but has since moved away from what they have seen as 'nanny-state' style initiatives.

In 2020, ex-prime minister Boris Johnson announced a 'world-leading' obesity action plan, inspired in part by how his own weight put him at greater risk of serious illness when he contracted Covid.

But Rishi Sunak's government has postponed a ban on promoting 'buy one get one free' deals on unhealthy snacks until 2025, blaming the cost of living.

A ban on television advertising for junk food before 9pm and on paid advertising online has also been postponed by 12 months to 2025.

The latest NHS data shows that 26 percent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 percent are overweight but not obese.

Obesity rates have been rising for decades, with experts blaming sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets.

The number of children in children is also increasing dramatically, with a quarter of children in care now considered overweight and one in ten obese.

Until now the problem was thought to cost Britain around £60 billion.

However, analysis published this week by the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) think tank shows that Britain's obesity crisis is now costing the country almost £100 billion a year.

This figure included the cost of the knock-on effects of obesity and the impact on the NHS, as well as secondary costs such as lost income due to time off work due to illness and premature deaths.

The NHS now spends an estimated £19 billion on treating weight-related health problems, according to the analysis.

Being at an unhealthy weight increases your risk of serious and life-threatening conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and stroke.

When looking at specific health problems associated with being overweight, high blood pressure was the biggest cost at £171 and £178 per man and woman per year respectively.

Similar high figures were recorded for type 2 diabetes and depression, both of which are linked to being fat.