At least nine out of ten overweight people have been insulted because of their size, according to research.

In a survey of 1,000 adults, 46 per cent admitted to having referred to or thought of an overweight person by a derogatory name.

This negative attitude was shared by many of those who had been insulted, with 33 per cent of obese respondents among the name-callers.

Researchers also found that the teasing was most widespread among young people.

The number of people calling names fell the older people were, from 56 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds surveyed to just 35 per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds.

Meanwhile, overweight Londoners faced a harder time than their Scottish counterparts, with 30 per cent prepared to call a friend or relative a nasty name compared to 15 per cent of Scots.

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