The Government's sugar tax on soft drinks has brought in half as much money as Ministers first predicted it would generate, the first official data on the policy has shown.

First announced by George Osborne in 2016, the levy which applies to soft drinks containing more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, was introduced to help reduce childhood obesity.

It is estimated that today's children and teenagers are consuming three times the recommended level of sugar, putting them at a higher risk of the disease.