'Three million' with diabetes

There are thought to be 850,000 people who don not know they have type 2 diabetes.

A record breaking three million people have now been diagnosed with the disease, and experts are warning unless more is done to prevent the condition, the NHS could become burdened with unsustainable costs.

Diabetes sufferer Lynda Marks said dealing with the condition is much easier once you start talking about it.

She said: "It's difficult... to begin with."

Read: Record three million diagnosed with diabetes

The biggest ever public awareness campaign on Type 2 diabetes risk factors is being introduced, as health experts reveal that three million people in Britain have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Funds raised will help to pay for research into a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes as well as aiming to identify the 850,000 people in the UK who could be at risk from the condition.

The partnership between Diabetes UK and Tesco aims to provide information and advice to almost a million people with Type 2 diabetes, helping them to understand how to manage their condition.

Every year 24,000 people with diabetes die earlier than expected in England and Wales.

Urgent action is required to stop the problem of diabetes, a health organisation has warned.

Barbara Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said:

Three million Britons have been diagnosed with diabetes, research has shown.

It is the equivalent to 4.6 per cent of the population, and experts say the figure is growing, warning it was a "grim staging post towards a public health emergency".

Research by Diabetes UK and Tesco has found that more than 130,000 people were diagnosed with the disease over the last year, with an estimated 850,000 people thought to have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

Health experts say that the NHS could be burdened with unsustainable costs, unless more is done to prevent it.