NEW figures show people in Worcestershire are swapping sugar for healthier snacks.

Worcestershire County Council's health and wellbeing team have been working closely with the national Change4Life 'sugar swaps' campaign and statistics suggest it is starting to work.

This year, the number of people who signed up to the campaign increased by more than 170 per cent.

In 2014 1,254 signed up, but in 2015 this increased to almost 3,400 people.

The Change4Life programme helps families to eat well, move more and live longer.

This year the focus has been to help families cut back on sugar at key points during the day.

Frances Howie, head of public health at Worcestershire County Council, said: "I am delighted to see this dramatic increase in Worcestershire's interest in Change4Life's Sugar Swaps.

"I am glad that our use of a mixture of national and local messages have resonated so well with people.

"We face major challenges in this county in tackling the rising tide of obesity, and the avoidable ill-health that it causes.

"It is great to see so many people making this good start by taking steps along the way to a healthier diet, and taking personal responsibility and action to make healthy changes."