Weight-loss surgery costs the NHS millions of pounds every year [GETTY]The NHS has spent up to £516million on the surgery with many now calling for a "better sense of perspective" on how taxpayers' money is spent.
More than one in four people are clinically obese and figures uncovered by Express.co.uk show the true extent of the crisis is threatening to cripple the NHS.
Dia Chakravarty, Political Director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "There has to be more individual responsibility over weight issues. So much of this money could have been spent on cancer drugs, nurses and midwives.
"There must be a better sense of perspective when deciding what taxpayers hard-earned money is spent on."
The number of stomach bypasses and restrictive gastric procedures shot up from 509 in 2003/4 to 9,927 in 2011/12.
It receded slightly in the financial year 2012/13 but was still worryingly high at 8,931.
In all, 49,118 procedures have been completed between 2003 and 2013 – many of which could arguably have been avoided by better diet.
Stomach bypasses cost as much as £15,000 each to perform, while restrictive procedures (such as the installation of a gastric band and sleeves) sets the health service back up to £7,000 for each operation.
More than a quarter of Britons are clinically obese [GETTY]Over 10 years this may have cost the health service as much as £516million.
This could fund more than 7,000 hip replacements or nearly 1,700 nurses each year.
Roger Goss, co-director of Patient Concern insisted that NHS cuts meant that services had to be rationed – and weight loss surgery should not be a priority.
He said: "If you have to ration the provision of healthcare, this sort of procedure would be one of the things at the bottom of my list of priorities.
"You simply cannot afford to do some things and there is no guarantee that people will then not simply go and put all the weight back on again."
Obesity is defined as heaving either a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or having a BMI of 30 or above with a serious health condition that could be improved with weight loss. So much of this money could have been spent on cancer drugs, nurses and midwives
Britain currently has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, with 70 per cent of men and 59 per cent of women currently overweight, including a shocking 26 per cent who are clinically obese.
According to the NHS, obesity levels in the UK have trebled over the last 30 years and, according to current estimates, more than half of the population could be obese by 2050.
A stomach bypass is a procedure to make the stomach smaller and the digestive system shorter by shortening the small intestine. It means that food eaten bypasses much of the stomach and small intestine, restricting the amount that can be eaten and resulting in some food not being fully digested.
Restrictive surgery involves placing a band or sleeve on part of the stomach, restricting the amount of food that can be eaten.
Bariatric surgery is only available to people with potentially life-threatening obesity when other treatments have not worked.
NICE has recommended taxpayer-funded slimming classes for the obese [GETTY]Between 2003 and 2013, stomach bypasses may have cost the NHS as much as £323million, while restrictive stomach surgery (such as gastric bands) could have set the health service back up to £193million.
This is a total of £516million, which does not take into account the cost of weight-related illness to the NHS such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
In all, obesity costs the health service £5.1 billion each year with 40,000 people dying of conditions attributable to being overweight or obese.
Several people have suggested that weight loss surgery is actually necessary to prevent problems further down the line.
Tam Fry, spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, believes that weight loss surgery actually makes economic sense for the NHS in the long run.
He said: "It is important to realise that the improvement in the weight of an individual is such that he or she may well not need to have more costly surgery or treatment in later life because of diabetes, cardiovascular problems and so on.
"It is well recognised now that the operation and follow-up is going to repay to the NHS over a period of time.
A gastric band insertion can cost up to £7,000 [GETTY]"The reason why some people are finding it very difficult is because the money does not necessarily flow directly back to the people who did the operation.
"They are going to have to pay for the operation but the ultimate benefit is going to be payback by that patient not needing further, more expensive treatment and probably lifelong treatment."
The figures come a day after the health watchdog recommended free slimming classes for the obese - funded by the taxpayer.
The overweight should be prescribed Weight Watchers, according to the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence in a move that could cost the Department of Health an additional £100million a year.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We all have a responsibility to tackle obesity.
"Our primary responsibility is to help the nation to be healthier. This is why we are working with industry, through the Responsibility Deal, to reduce calories in food and drinks to ensure that healthier options are available.
"We also have a voluntary front of pack labelling scheme which will help people keep track of what they're eating and give them the information to make healthier choices."
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