THE FIVE a Day' campaign to eat fruit and vegetables has come in for criticism after it was revealed it has flopped.

A Government report will this week say most people are still ignoring the advice despite the increased health risks, it was reported.

Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation put the failure down to the population.

Tony Gibbons, from Bournemouth's Townsend Friendly Food Group, said he raised concerns about five-a-day 18 months ago when he got an award from David Blunkett.

"I said policies from central government do not work, " said Gibbons. "People in areas like Townsend already have an anti-establishment feeling and if you start wagging your finger then they don't want to know."

He said the Friendly Food Group provided an example of how people could encourage healthy eating themselves.

The volunteers who joined the group now help single mums and after school clubs.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood said a "fresh approach" was now needed to tackle obesity.

He said school dinner budgets had "hardly changed" since Jamie Oliver's famous TV series.

And he said he was "shocked" to be recently told by Bournemouth and Poole PCT staff that one fifth of under 25s are obese.

A spokesman for Dorset PCT said: "We can't comment on the report because we haven't seen it yet, but the five-a-day message is important and we are emphasising it in various ways.

"It's difficult to monitor how much people take up the message."

No-one from Bournemouth and Poole PCT was available for comment.

Cllr Nick King, Bournemouth's cabinet member for communications, said health spending and health education spending should not go hand in hand.

He said: "That creates a disparity in services because you end up with fantastic health services in Glasgow and waiting lists here."