BRITAIN’S fattest man is reportedly launching a compensation claim against NHS Suffolk, which he said failed to help him control his weight.

Paul Mason, who weighed nearly 70 stone before undergoing life-saving gastric surgery last year, claimed doctors neglected to identify his binge eating - which reached 20,000 calories a day - as a medical disorder.

The 50-year-old former postman, who now weighs 37 stone, told the national press he should have been helped years ago, when he sought help from his GP after reaching 30 stone.

He complained that in 1996, rather than receiving a treatment programme to manage his weight, he was told: “Ride your bike more”.

He also believes an eating disorders specialist could have offered more help than the dietician he was referred to when his weight hit 64 stone.

Mr Mason told The Sun he would put any compensation towards helping other obese people lose weight, adding: “I want to set a precedent so no one else has to get to the same size - and to put something back into society.”

Health campaigner Prue Rush, who worked for the NHS for 40 years, said Mr Mason should put his high profile to better use. She added: “It’s quite a surprising approach to take to the people who have helped him - I wonder who has advised him that this is a good idea.

“The courage he showed by appearing on television must be applauded and it’s difficult to criticise the man if he really does feel he has been let down.

“We are all ultimately responsible for our own health but I agree there are certain emotional and psychological issues surrounding his condition.

“However, he will lose credibility and some of the sympathy he has engendered from the public. He should perhaps be using his profile to educate the people who don’t understand how he reached his position.”

A spokesperson for NHS Suffolk said: “As we have not heard from Paul Mason regarding his intentions it would be inappropriate to speculate at this time.”

Mr Mason was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary this week, in which it was estimated that his care bill cost taxpayers an estimated �100,000 a year.

The programme followed him from his heaviest weight, documenting his gastric surgery.