Brits fed up of being told how much fatter they are than their French cousins have been given some cheer after it emerged that nearly 20 million people across the Channel are now overweight or obese.

Experts said the appeal of American-style fast food, snacks between meals and a sedentary way of life had led to a piling on of the pounds.

The revelation - which shatters a commonly held belief that French people don't get fat in spite of a diet rich in cheese, red meat and wine - came in a study indicating that France, with a population of 63m, now had 2.3 million more obese people than nine years ago.