AMBITIOUS plans to launch a military-style “fat camp” in the heart of a Suffolk village have been unveiled to combat the spiralling rate of obesity.Former Flying Squad detective Glen Moulds said greater education was needed to curb the “massive problem” among adults and children.

AMBITIOUS plans to launch a military-style “fat camp” in the heart of a Suffolk village have been unveiled to combat the spiralling rate of obesity.

Former Flying Squad detective Glen Moulds said greater education was needed to curb the “massive problem” among adults and children.

Speaking at the official opening of his first karate academy, Mr Moulds said he wanted to expand the facilities in a bid to create a residential camp - similar to those in America and the hit television programme Celebrity Fit Club.

“The principle is very simple - there is nowhere else in this country where you can go for help if you are overweight,” Mr Moulds said.

“You can go to classes but there is nowhere if you need serious help. We want to create a camp where you have six hours of physical work a day but also spend a lot of the time in the classroom.

“We want to explain why your body is like that and make people understand why they need to change their lives and work around people's lifestyles. There is a massive obesity problem in this country and it is just spiralling.”

Mr Moulds, 49, remortaged his home to build the £75,000 Japan Karate Academy in Barrow, near Bury St Edmunds, which he also hopes will be the base for the fat camp.

Officially opened by west Suffolk MP Richard Spring on Saturday, demonstrations of karate, yoga and tai chi were held in the new purpose-built studio.

Mr Moulds said: “It has been a long haul but it is very exciting that the academy is finally opened.

“This is phase one of our work with phase two being a gym and fitness studio and phase three, the residential camp for people to lose weight.

“The open countryside coupled with the facilities we are creating would make this a first class training facility and there is the potential right here in the Suffolk countryside to create something of an international standard.”

The father-of-six took early retirement from the police in 1994 after contracting Beijing flu while fighting for the England squad in a tournament in Las Vegas. He has since run similar academies in London, India and Norway.