Adults in Maldon are less active than they used to be, with under two thirds doing more than two and a half hours of exercise a week.

A Sport England survey found 63 per cent of just over 500 people aged over-16 in the district said they got the recommended amount of exercise a week in the year to November.

That was down from 68 per cent the year before and in line with the national average.

The figures also show 13 per cent of adults in the Maldon said they were fairly active, exercising between 30 and 149 minutes a week.

Just under a quarter - 24 per cent - said they were inactive.

That was up from 21 per cent the year before but down from 25 per cent in 2015-16.

Sport England boss Tim Hollingsworth said: “At the moment, how likely you are to be active depends too much on your bank balance and your postcode.

“That’s why we will continue to target our investment in places where it can make the biggest difference and on the groups who have most to gain.”