AN NHS scheme which gives people cash in exchange for losing weight has been slammed by Maidstone and the Weald MP Ann Widdecombe.

Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust wants 300 men and women to take part in a trial – where they will be given between £70 and £425 for reaching personal weight loss targets.

But Ms Widdecombe, who lost 16kg on ITV's Celebrity Fit Club in 2002, said the NHS should not be wasting money onsuch a project.

She said: "If the NHS had money to spare it would be okay, but the fact is the NHS is short of money. There are plenty of people who cannot get funding to pay for treatment for illnesses.

"We can all control our own weight. If the NHS has to prioritise then this should be at the end of its priorities."

Public health specialist for the NHS in east Kent Claire Martin said: "Achieving a healthier weight and encouraging people to choose a healthier lifestyle are major issues for the health service.

"This scheme will be ideal for people who have tried to lose weight before but have found it difficult to make progress.

"We hope this trial will help establish whether financial incentives can motivate people to shed the pounds – and keep them off."

The trial, called Pounds for Pounds, will be run by fitness specialist Weight Wins and is believed to be the first public trial by the NHS of a weight loss incentive programme.