A charity has warned that the number of people with diabetes in Wales is at its all-time high and urged for steps to be taken to control the disease.

Diabetes UK Cymru said in its new report that there are 177,212 people in Wales living with the condition. It warned that if the same trend continues, the number of people affected will rise to 288,000 by 2025. The charity launched Diabetes Week and said that the lack of education on managing the condition led to the "devastating" health complications, including amputations, blindness and strokes. It also said that the NHS spends nearly £500million a year on Diabetes.

Diabetes UK Cymru's Director Dai Williams said, "Over the last decade we have seen the number of people with diabetes rising at an alarming rate and these latest figures are a stark call to action. We must act now or face the very real danger of diabetes devastating the lives of even more people, and threatening to wreck the already over-burdened NHS."

Mr Williams also said that the NHS Wales needs to do not to spread education required by people to deal with the condition. He also pointed out that many cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented.