Ten dangerously overweight patients in Sussex underwent drastic obesity operations last year, new figures have revealed.

The patients went under the knife to overcome their obesity at hospitals run by the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, according to the Department of Health.

The 2005/6 figures, released to MPs by health minister Caroline Flint, include two procedures - "stomach stapling" and gastric bypass operations.

The stapling operation involves using staples or bands to make the stomach smaller and allow food to bypass part of the small intestine where many nutrients are absorbed.

Gastric bypass surgery - costing up to £15,000 an operation - is more complicated and involves dividing the stomach into two pouches and connecting the smaller one directly to the final segment of the small intestine.

Patients who undergo surgery require lifelong monitoring for potential complications.

Operations are only recommended as a last resort for "morbidly obese" patients - those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 40.

BMI divides patients' weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres.

The Argus reported this week that 40st Chris Leppard, 25, from Hastings, has been put on a strict diet in hospital and is showing signs of recovery just days after he was told he had only two weeks to live.

His mother Anne has also been given a new home which will make it easier for him to get around and Chris is receiving intensive medical support.

Wannabe chef Chris suffers from Prader Willi syndrome which means he never feels full. He tipped the scales at 13st when he was 13 and was diagnosed with the condition which affects one in 15,000 people.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance on obesity says clearly that the focus on tackling obesity is on prevention.

"Surgical treatment should be given only after diet, exercise and behavioural approaches have been started and evaluated, ensuring patient-led informed decision making."

Patients in Sussex had to wait on average just ten days for their operations.

The National Audit Office has estimated that obesity costs the NHS at least £500m a year - and the wider economy more than £2bn a year in lost productivity.

Is enough done to try to prevent obesity in Sussex? Should children be better educated about obesity? Leave your comments below.