Nearly one in five British schoolchildren admits to drinking the equivalent of a bottle and a half of wine each week, a report has revealed. On average, 19 per cent of 14-year-olds said they consumed seven or more units of alcohol. In the North-East it soared to 27 per cent. Children as young as 12 also confessed to drinking a similar amount, with nearly 10 per cent in the North-East and South-East putting their hands up. The figures, released by the North West Health Public Observatory, were based on results from 2002 to 2006 - Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph
There were not enough firefighters to tackle the fatal hotel blaze in Newquay because of service cuts, the Fire Brigades Union said today. The death toll from the terrifying inferno has risen to three, with one of the victims leaping 50ft to his death while trying to escape the raging flames. Two people are still missing following the blaze, and police and fire investigation teams are to continue searching the debris for them. Today the union said that there were not enough firefighters to man a second pump when the fire broke out at the popular holiday resort - Daily Mail
Terrifying knife crime now takes place on the streets of Britain every eight minutes, chilling figures revealed yesterday. The explosion in thugs carrying weapons means offences involving blades have more than doubled in just two years. On average a shocking 175 people are robbed at knifepoint every day — up from 110 last year and 69 two years ago. The statistics were issued by London's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies following analysis of Home Office data - The Sun, The Mirror