The research found that there was a higher number of fast-food outlets within 500 metres of inner-city neighbourhoods described as non-white as well as in socially deprived areas.

The researchers warn that their findings, based on a study of over 10,000 people, have important implications for diabetes prevention and for those granting planning permission for fast-food outlets.

The study was supported by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East Midlands (CLAHRC EM), the Leicester Clinical Trials Unit and the NIHR Leicester–Loughborough Diet, Lifestyle and Physical Activity Biomedical Research Unit (BRU), which is a partnership between University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Loughborough University and the University of Leicester.