Cambridgeshire is among the best areas in the country for promoting breast feeding and reducing childhood obesity, according to a national report.

More than half of new mums breast feed their babies for the first six to eight weeks, statistics show.

It also performs well for reducing childhood obesity.

However, it is one of the worst for having a high number of smokers and in the worst category for its drug treatment services because of poor waiting times.

This issue is now said to be resolved.

Public Health England has published the latest information to compare local authorities on how they deliver preventative health services.

It looks at things like care for under fives, child obesity, drug and alcohol misuse treatment, tobacco control, NHS Health Checks, sexual health services and air quality.

Cambridgeshire County Council is in the ‘best’ category nationally for childhood obesity and ‘best start in life’.

Liz Robin, Cambridgeshire County Council’s director of Public Health, said: “We’re pleased to see we have performed well in providing services that tackle childhood obesity, giving children the best start in life and a number of other measures.

“We recognise there is still work to do in some of the other categories including tobacco control, drug treatment and air quality.

“We will be working hard with partner organisations to improve in these areas, to ensure people in Cambridgeshire have healthier outcomes for everyone.”

The data shows that for rates of childhood obesity at age four to five years, Cambridgeshire ranks third out of 16 similar authorities, while for 10-11 year olds Cambridgeshire has the best ranking in the group.

Cambridgeshire is also ‘better than average’ for NHS health checks, alcohol treatment, and sexual and reproductive health, ranking sixth out of 16 similar authorities.

However Cambridgeshire is in the ‘worst’ category, ranking 14th out of sixteen for tobacco control.

It is also in the ‘worst’ category for drug treatment services.

An issue with waiting times for treatment in 2016, which has since been resolved, affected this ranking, they say.

Public Health England have included an interim measure for air quality, where Cambridgeshire ranks 14th out of 16 similar local authority areas. Two air quality management areas in Fenland are in process of being revoked due to local improvements.