More than half of London children not getting an hour of exercise a week

The scale of London's "inactivity crisis" was laid bare on Tuesday by figures showing that more than half of London children do not get more than a hour of exercise a week.

Data released by London Sport shows that 620,000 children in the capital between the ages of 5 and 16 are not achieving the 60 minutes of daily exercise recommended by health experts.

Girls in London are nearly 10 per cent less active than boys, with the gap 2 per cent wider than the national average, according to the figures.

Children from lower income families are more than 10 per cent less active compared with those from higher income families.

Physical activity varied greatly by borough, with a 27 per cent difference between the most active borough (Wandsworth) and the least active borough (Tower Hamlets).

Out of 45 regions in England, London placed 32nd for children’s activity levels.

The figures come amid rising obesity rates among children in the capital, with the latest NHS Digital figures showing that nearly one in four children in primary school are now obese.

One in six premature deaths are caused by physical activity, according to the Government.

London Sport has called on London Mayoral candidates to commit to policies to improve activity levels in children ahead of Thursday's election, including promoting walking and wheeling to school and protecting sports facilities.

Emily Robinson, CEO of London Sport, said: “These figures are a real cause for concern and demonstrate how critical it is that we end the child inactivity crisis. This is not just about giving children an outlet to play and have fun, this is about avoiding future health issues, improving children’s mental health, and even helping them perform better academically.

"We know the potential that sport and physical activity can have on our city, so it’s vital that we stop treating it as a luxury and instead focus on using it as a tool to improve health outcomes, reduce the burden on the NHS, and ultimately save lives”.