One in five young people in Bucks are “completely inactive” according to a new health report, with more than half of the population doing less than the recommended amount of exercise.

Only six out of ten adults are reaching the recommended guidelines, according to new data on physical activity in Bucks, which shows that people are not active enough.

Public Health Director Dr Jane O’Grady announced the astonishing statistics in her annual report to the county council and said that only 20 per cent of young people in the county are reaching the level of activity needed to see benefits, and the proportion of active children falling.

She said: “It’s not just our health and wellbeing that is improved by physical activity but also the educational attainment for our children and young people, the safety and quality of our environment and the connections we make in our communities.

"At the moment, we're simply not active enough.”

Dr O’Grady’s report says that employers should encourage staff to be more active, planning of new green spaces should promote exercise and that the county council should work with schools and families to make sure that younger children learn physical literacy and young people participate in activity during their teenage years.

Older people should also be encouraged to stay healthy with activities developed by social services and voluntary organisations.