IF you want piles of fries with your fish or burger, Glasgow's Maryhill is the place to go, according to a study.

Research found the majority of fast food outlets in one of Glasgow's most deprived areas are serving up bigger portions of chips than over a decade ago, prompting concern from health campaigners.

Obesity Action Scotland visited 30 take-away outlets in the Maryhill area of the city in May this year and found that 37 out of 40 chip servings were larger than the average portion of 210g in 2002.

In one outlet, the portion of fries was a waistline-busting 755g, three times larger than the typical average, 16 years ago and more than half of the total, daily, recommended fat intake.

Read more: Food shoppers should be shown graphic images of disease to discourage unhealthy choices 

The average chip serving in Maryhill was 380g. The firms are not named in the report.

As part of its drive to tackle overweight and obesity the Scottish Government has promised action to tackle the 'out of home' food industry.

One average bag of chips a week totals around 983kcal and if eaten in addition to a normal diet, could mean around 6.5kg of weight gain in a year.

Health watchdogs want to see more outlets listing calorie content on take-away meals but are ultimately calling for mandatory, portion size restrictions.

Research shows the availability of fast food is higher in more deprived areas. Up to a quarter of calories, across the UK, are consumed outwith the home.

Read more: Nicola Sturgeon's plan to reduce childhood obesity by 50% over next 12 years

Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead of Obesity Action Scotland, said "We know that chips are the food item we most commonly purchase out of home.

"From our study, we see a portion of chips has grown significantly since 2002. 

"Today’s average bag of chips contains around half of the recommended calorie intake for a woman for an entire day. It is no wonder that people can put on weight so easily.

Read more: All the things the Scottish Government wants to ban to tackle obesity blight

"Let us start to improve take-aways and eating out, by ensuring people can opt for smaller portions and are aware of the calorie content of the items they are purchasing.

"It's making sure people understand without calorie labelling it's difficult for people to understand the implications of portion sizes.

"We are all going to continue to eat out of home, that's what we need for our busy lifestyles but its about us understanding what it is we are eating.

"We would be calling for mandatory portion restrictions, calorie labelling and half portion options.

"We know that peoplare eating out more and more so it has a big impact."