Breastfeeding helpline to support new mothers

The resource will be backed by £150,000 a year. Its aim is to give advice and support to breastfeeding mothers in England.

Ministers are keen to promote breastfeeding as research has shown it reduces the likelihood of children becoming obese, and is also beneficial to the health of the mother.

A study from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, which was released at the same time as the announcement, shows that despite improvements rates in England are still low.

The proportion of mothers who breastfeed in the UK has increased from 69 per cent in 2000 to 76 per cent in 2005. But in England only half of mothers were breastfeeding at six weeks.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Our aim is to increase the number of mums breastfeeding for longer and we will monitor progress at six to eight weeks. Local health authorities will gather this information and report back every quarter."