The majority of people are unaware that if they have a large waistline they are at risk of developing diabetes, research has found.

While many people know that being overweight and inactive are risk factors, 63% of people do not know that having a large waist – 31.5 inches or more for women and 35 inches or more for men – increases the risk of developing the condition, according to a new survey.

Diabetes UK said people who have a normal body mass index but a large waist are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The poll, by charity and healthcare provider Bupa, found only one in 10 people is aware people from black or south Asian backgrounds are at increased risk of developing the condition.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, an auto-immune disease, type 2 is largely driven by lifestyle and linked to obesity.

In the UK, there are 3.8 million people with diabetes, including about 850,000 who have type 2 diabetes but do not know it.

Almost one-quarter-of-a- million people in Scotland now have the disease – around 5% of the population – with the number of people with the condition continuing to increase by about 10,000 a year.

Approximately 217,500, have type 2 diabetes, a form of the disease which can be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "We are particularly concerned people might think they do not have anything to worry about just because their body mass index suggests they are in the healthy weight range.

"But if someone carries their weight around their middle and has close family members with diabetes, they could still be at high risk."