Firefighters are being called to the aid of severely obese people twice as often as they were before the pandemic, figures have shown.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service attended 29 'bariatric assists' during 2020-21, the greatest number of these calls it has received since records began.

The figure doubles the 15 instances which happened in the year before Covd hit, eclipsing the previous record of 17 in 2018-19 and 2013-14.

The statistic has sparked concerns from experts that it highlights the growing issue of obesity.

Although incredibly rare, these are calls when firefighters are required to assist an obese person who is unable to move from a predicament.

These may be incidents where a person has become trapped in their own home or are physically unable to move.

The rescues can sometimes involve using specialist slings, winches or rescue equipment - or even removing walls and other structural features.

Of England's 41 fire services, 23 had more of these cases than Norfolk - although the county did see the ninth biggest year-on-year increase.

Of the 29 incidents in 2020-21, three saw four or more vehicles attend while eight saw firefighters spend more than an hour on the scene.

A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said the fire service "continues to be ready to work with blue light partners in responding to incidents of any nature".

They added that these incidents were generally attended to assist the ambulance service.

Experts suggest the figures, which also rose nationally, were indicative of obesity becoming more prevalent.

Recent figures have shown that two-thirds of people in Norfolk and Waveney are classified as being either obese or overweight.

Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: "Sadly, these figures will continue to rise for many years to come.

"Even when the government's latest plans to tackle obesity have been finally implemented, there will still be hundreds requiring rescue teams to get them out of their homes and into hospital for treatment.

"Thirty years of political indifference are responsible for this desperate situation."

However, public health leaders locally have suggested it is too soon to say for sure whether the pandemic led to greater levels of obesity.