More than four million Britons will have diabetes by 2025, a new report has warned.

According to leading health charity Diabetes UK, around 2.3 million people in the UK are diagnosed with diabetes and more than 500,000 also have the condition but are not aware of it.

The dramatic new statistics would mean an additional 1.3 million people with the condition by 2025, the equivalent of a 46 per cent increase, bringing the total number of people with diabetes to an estimated 4.2 million.

"These new figures are shocking and confirm that diabetes is one of the main health challenges facing the UK today," said Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK.

"Awareness and prevention are crucial if we want to avert this future health crisis and see the number of people with Type 2 diabetes fall.

"We need to encourage people to reduce their risk of developing the condition by eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight and leading an active lifestyle."

Diabetes UK attributes the diabetes epidemic to increasing numbers of overweight and obese people, who have a far higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.