A UK charity says that a lack of care and education is to blame for the spike in diabetes that has seen a 65 per cent rise over 10 years.

The number of people with diabetes in the UK has topped four million for the first time, according to new figures.

GP practice data, analysed by the charity Diabetes UK, shows 4.05 million people are now living with the condition.

This includes 3.5 million adults who have been officially diagnosed - up 119,965 on the previous year and an increase of 65 per cent over the past decade.

Some 549,000 people are also believed to have Type 2 diabetes but are undiagnosed. Type 2 diabetes is linked to unhealthy lifestyles, including obesity.

If trends continue, an estimated five million people will have diabetes by 2025.

Chris Askew, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "With four million people in the UK now living with diabetes, the need to tackle this serious health condition has never been so stark or so urgent."

He said there was a need for a "concerted effort led by the Government to take active steps to address the fact that almost two in every three people in the UK are overweight or obese, and are therefore at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

"Basic measures such as making healthy food cheaper and more accessible, introducing clearer food labelling and making it easier for people to build physical activity into their daily lives would have a profound influence."

According to Diabetes UK, more than 24,000 diabetics die prematurely every year due to failures in accessing the best care.

This includes receiving eight annual checks in areas such as foot care.

The checks - which only 60 per cent of diabetics currently receive - are designed to prevent complications which can lead to limb amputation, blindness, kidney failure and even death.

The charity also warned that people are missing out on education courses designed to help them best manage their condition.

Mr Askew said: "Tragically, we are continuing to see too many people with diabetes suffering serious complications, and even dying before their time, and we know that key reasons for this are that they are being denied both the care and access to education that would help them to manage their condition well.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said: "The NHS diabetes prevention programme, due to begin national rollout in the spring, will help people make the lifestyle changes that lessen their risk - eating more healthily, being more physically active and achieving a healthy weight and waist size."