THE number of people having stomach surgery for obesity at York Hospital is the eighth highest in the country.

According to official Government figures, surgeons in the city have seen an increase of more than 65 per cent in two years in procedures designed to help those whose weight has put their health at risk.

The findings for York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust show 63 people had gastric bypass surgery during 2006-7 - the latest year for which statistics are available - compared to 38 in 2004-5 and 47 the following year.

Only seven of the 163 NHS trusts covered by the data treated more people for obesity in 2006-7, but Mike Proctor, York Hospital's deputy chief executive, said: "All those who have this surgery are not necessarily from the local area. We attract referrals from across Yorkshire and the north of England due to the expertise and skills of our surgeons, so this figure reflects that.

"For whatever reason, people often need significant help with obesity. It is a major health issue and the life-saving surgery we perform helps to reduce the demands on the health service in the long-term because obesity is linked to many critical conditions."

In 2006-7, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust performed more gastric bypass operations than anywhere else in the country - 207.