Dudley Council is backing a campaign encouraging both children and adults to bin fizzy pop for a month to reduce sugar intake, lose weight, save money and protect their teeth.

It comes after it was revealed around a third of primary and secondary school pupils surveyed in Dudley last year reported having sweets or non-diet fizzy drinks on “most days”.

Research suggests that you could save £438 a year if you stopped drinking one bottle of soft drink per day for a year and drinking just one 330ml can of non-diet fizzy drink a day could add up to over a stone weight gain per year as many fizzy drinks contain six or more teaspoons of sugar per can. Councillor Cathy Bayton, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said:

"In Dudley, one in every five children starts primary school overweight or obese, and that number rises to one in three by the time they reach secondary school.

"Fizzy drinks are the largest single source of sugar for children aged 11-18, and they provide an average of 29 per cent of daily sugar intake. Cutting out fizzy drinks is an easy way to reduce your sugar intake.

"As a council we are delighted to be backing this campaign, and we would urge as many people as possible to sign up.”

You can commit to 'Fizz Free Feb' now, by completing a pledge form at lets-get.com or by tweeting @DudleyMBC and @LetsGetHealthyD using the hashtag #GoFizzFree.