8:15pm UK, Monday November 11, 2002

Britain is following America and becoming a nation of Homer Simpsons, guzzling fizzy drinks and stuffing our faces full of chocolate at astonishing rates.

According to new figures, our little island consumes more chocolate and soft drinks than any of our healthier continental neighbours.

180 Homer Simpson

Guzzling: Homer Simpson

In fact, the amount of chocolate stuffed into Britain's waistline last year, represented 30% of that sold across the whole of Europe and experts say it's an upward trend that is set to continue.

We also poured a huge 5.7 billion litres of soft drinks like Coca Cola and lemonade down out throats last year.

And the UK also munched its way through 22.6 million kilograms of chewing gum, with a big rise seen in sugar free brands boosted by promotions claiming they are good for dental health.

Lawrence Gould, consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor, said: "The findings seem to tie in with existing research showing that the UK has a growing problem with obesity, particularly compared with the rest of Europe.

"Part of the reason for the increase in fizzy drinks and confectionery consumption seems to be our tendency to follow America, which is worrying considering the problem of overweight in the US.

"There is also much more of a tendency to snack in the UK compared to other parts of Europe. It is now common for UK workers to have a chocolate bar or bag of crisps with lunch."