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The hospital treated 24 babies and toddlers under three years old for obesity in 24, up from 15 in 2014, four in 2013, two in 2012 and just one in 2011.

The figures were obtained by the Sunday Echo in Liverpool, which also found that the number of children treated for obesity under the age of 16 trebled in 2015.

A Liverpool Public Health spokesman told the Sunday Echo: “We are working hard to tackle this important issue and the percentage of reception age children classed as obese has fallen from 13.3 per cent in 2012/13 to 11.8 per cent in 2014/15, while obesity rates for Year 6 pupils have remained about the same at around 23 per cent.

“To put it into context, Liverpool has the 13th highest reception age obesity rates of all local authorities in the country, and the 34th highest rates in Year 6.”

The figures come days after Public Health England launched the ‘Sugar Smart’ app which allows parents to see how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink. The health body found that four to 10 year olds consumer over 5,500 sugar cubes a year - the average weight of a five year old.

The spokesman added: ““We are supporting the new Change4Life initiative encouraging families to be Sugar Smart and check the amount of sugar that is in their food and drink.”

The Government is expected to release its highly anticipated obesity strategy in the coming months.