The number of obese people rescued by the fire service because they are too large to move has rocketed by more than six times in five years.

Figures obtained by the KM show there were 129 incidents in Kent in the last year.

Rescuers use specialised body slings, lifting equipment and sometimes remove windows and walls.

Dr Stephanie de Giorgio, a Deal GP and member of obesity campaign group #obsmuk, highlighted the condition’s complexities.

“Obesity is a serious chronic condition, the causes of which are many.

“They include genetic factors, the gut microbiome, which is the collection of bacteria that live in our gut, and the obesogenic environment in which we all exist.

“Once a person has become overweight, the body does everything it can to stop that person from successfully losing weight, as the fact that only 5% of people who are overweight every successfully lose weight long term without bariatric surgery, clearly shows.”

Dr Stephanie de Giorgio, who practices at the Cedars Surgery, added curing the condition isn’t as simple as “eat less and move more”.

She explained doctors are still in the early phases of understanding the condition.

She continued: “Proper funding of more bariatric ambulances and crews would lessen the need for (fire service assistance) but like all other services, it is stretched beyond limits due to government underfunding and difficult working conditions.”

Bariatric rescues - which involve coming to the aid of severely obese people, who are often stuck in their homes have increased from 21 in 2013 to 129 in 2017.

Callouts to obese patients make up only a small percentage of KFR’s work, between 2016 – 2017 the authority responded to 14,500 emergency incidents in Kent and Medway.

The figures don’t count the movement of the deceased and are not exclusive to moving casualties to ambulances.

"The problem we have is we don't know how big the problem is because people don't leave their houses and can't get to the doctor" - Tam Fry

Some incidents involve rescuing a person from road traffic collisions and mud.

A spokesman said: “We have a range of specialist resources that can be adapted for many situations and the officer at the scene would assess the incident and call on the relevant resources as required.”

Tam Fry, from the charity National Obesity Forum, said the figures could be higher because many obese people are hidden.

He said: “They shy away. They shy away from the stigma and they avoid being called offensive names.

“The problem we have is we don’t know how big the problem is because people don’t leave their houses and can’t get to the doctor.”

He added the problem could be addressed by more bariatric surgery operations being carried out and compulsory GP appointments every three years to identify the condition early.

"I speak to a lot of GPs who say 'if only I could have seen that patient sooner'."